Pennsylvania category, Page 49
Barring ‘thin blue line’ flag on Pennsylvania township property is unconstitutional, U.S. court rules
A federal court has ruled that a Pennsylvania community’s resolution prohibiting the display of an American flag with a thin blue line on all township property is unconstitutional. The ruling about the flag that’s also used as part of the police union’s logo came down Monday. The dispute in Springfield...
Pennsylvania House OKs $1.8 billion pension boost for government and public school retirees
HARRISBURG — Democrats who control the state House of Representatives on Tuesday advanced an estimated $1.8 billion boost to the pensions of Pennsylvania state government and public school retirees, while some Republicans said taxpayers will unfairly shoulder the financial burden. The legislation passed 140-63, with every Democrat supporting it. It...
Pa. Senate committee has ‘no plans’ to move House-approved gun safety measures
A Democratic-led state House committee on Tuesday advanced two more firearms safety bills despite fresh indications that gun reform remains largely intractable along partisan lines. The measures — requiring secure gun storage around children and imposing parental liability — are the latest pitched in the Democratic-majority House this session. Two...
Pa. leads nation in Lyme disease cases and development in forests is boosting the risk
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. HOUSERVILLE — Pennsylvania leads the nation in Lyme disease cases, and the continued development of forested areas increases people’s risk of being bitten by the...
Escaped murderer charged with burglary and theft while on the run for 2 weeks
A convicted murderer who escaped from a southeastern Pennsylvania prison earlier this year and eluded a massive two-week search before he was recaptured is now facing new theft, burglary and other charges in connection with alleged crimes committed while he was on the run. Danilo Cavalcante, 34, convicted of the...
International student enrollment rebounds to nearly pre-pandemic levels, report says
International enrollment at colleges nationwide has rebounded to almost pre-pandemic levels, with last year’s 12% enrollment jump representing the biggest annual increase in four-plus decades, a new report shows. The report released Monday by the New York-based nonprofit Institute of International Education puts the U.S. head count at about 1.06...
Natural gas commodities market, milder weather predictions could ease winter heating costsVideo
Members of the natural gas industry, both locally and nationally, are predicting a decline in winter heating bills in 2024 based on the current commodities market as well as the long-range winter forecast. “I think you’re looking at increased production and lower demand overall,” said Columbia Gas spokesperson Lee Gierczynski....
Democrat Cherelle Parker is elected as Philadelphia’s 100th mayor, 1st woman to hold the office
Cherelle Parker, a Democrat who has held office at the state and local level after first becoming involved in politics as a teenager, was elected Tuesday as Philadelphia’s 100th mayor, becoming the first woman to hold the post. Parker, 51, emerged from a crowded field of Democrats in the May...
Democrat Dan McCaffery wins open seat on Pennsylvania Supreme Court
HARRISBURG — Democrat Dan McCaffery won an open seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court in Tuesday’s general election, preserving a strong Democratic majority on a panel that has produced several critical election-related rulings in the presidential battleground state. The seven-member bench, which will be made up five Democrats and two Republicans,...
Pennsylvania county promises accurate tally after clerical error appears to flip votes for judges
A voting machine company’s clerical error caused votes in an eastern Pennsylvania county to appear to be flipped on a ballot question that asked whether a pair of incumbent state appeals judges should be retained, officials said Tuesday. Voters were asked to decide whether Pennsylvania Superior Court Judges Jack Panella...
Gov. Shapiro signs bill repealing ban on religious garb worn by teachers
Public school teachers in Pennsylvania will soon be allowed to wear jewelry or clothing bearing a religious emblem or symbol while on the job. Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill Monday that repeals a section of the state’s school code from 1949 that penalized a teacher for such religious displays...
Ex-Philadelphia labor leader on trial on federal charges of embezzling from union
PHILADELPHIA — Longtime former Philadelphia labor leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty is on trial on embezzlement charges, accused of having stolen from the union he led for nearly three decades. Dougherty and others are accused of having embezzled more than $650,000 from Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical...
‘Mom, there’s a fire!’: Point Park student makes frantic call when scooter catches fire in off-campus apartment
There are phone calls home to mom that college students never want to make. And then there’s the one placed early Saturday by Point Park University sophomore Aidan McFarlane, 19, barefoot, barely awake and frantic, as he realized his battery-powered electric scooter was ablaze in his studio apartment. Billowing smoke...
Penn State student calls for federal probe after students denied access to campus crime data
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. STATE COLLEGE — Nick Rizzio wanted to know why Penn State was sending fewer crime alerts. He had anecdotes. He had emails. He had theories....
Trump has edge in Pa. polling a year from election, but a Trump conviction would boost Biden
With the 2024 presidential election a year away, a poll of battleground states shows former President Donald Trump with a lead over President Joe Biden in Pennsylvania in a potential rematch of 2020, though Trump’s legal trials could have an effect on the race. Trump has a 4 percentage point...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee among Democrats who could face challenges over stance on Israel
ST. LOUIS — Most members of Congress have stood firmly behind Israel since the Hamas attack last month, but not Cori Bush. The Missouri Democrat called Israel’s response a “war crime” and an “ethnic cleansing campaign” and was among the few House members who opposed a resolution supporting Israel. Her...
Milk carton shortage could hit school lunchrooms in Pa., other states
The tiny, half-pint cartons of milk served with millions of school lunches nationwide might soon be scarce in some cafeterias, with districts across the country scrambling to find alternatives. The problem is not a shortage of milk but the cardboard cartons used to package and serve it, according to dairy...
Pa. court filing fee discount ends
Discounted court filing fees that originated during the summer’s budget stalemate in Harrisburg have ended. State lawmakers this week reauthorized a $40.25 surcharge assessed on most court-related documents filed in courthouses throughout Pennsylvania. Since Aug. 1, the cost to file documents such as divorces, deeds and mortgages were discounted by...
Pennsylvania’s election to be headlined by races for statewide courts, including high court seat
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters will settle four statewide judicial contests in Tuesday’s election, filling an open seat on the state Supreme Court — which has played a hugely consequential role in election-related cases in the presidential battleground state — and three seats on two lower appellate courts. The state Supreme...
Pennsylvania partners with natural gas driller on air and water monitoring amid new regulatory push
The state of Pennsylvania will work with a major natural gas producer to collect in-depth data on air emissions and water quality at well sites, enhance public disclosure of drilling chemicals and expand buffer zones, the governor announced Thursday, touting the collaboration as the first of its kind. CNX Resources...
Pennsylvania court permanently blocks effort to make power plants pay for greenhouse gas emissions
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania cannot enforce a regulation to make power plant owners pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, a state court ruled Wednesday, dealing another setback to the centerpiece of former Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight global warming. The Commonwealth Court last year temporarily blocked Pennsylvania from becoming...
Pa. bill to double security funding for nonprofits protecting hate crime victims passes House
State funding for nonprofits that serve vulnerable populations may double after a bill passed the Pennsylvania House on Tuesday. HB 1772 passed with the bipartisan support and backing from Pittsburgh-area lawmakers. It would increase total funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program from $5 million to $10 million. The grant...
Working the polls cleared up Jay Schneider’s 2020 suspicions. Now he’s taking charge as a judge of elections
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. This article is available for reprint under the terms of Votebeat’s republishing policy. In 2022, when the judge of elections at Jay Schneider’s township polling place asked him to...
State House approves funding for Pitt, Penn State, 2 others — but with a stipulation the universities are balking at
The state House passed legislation Tuesday that Democrats and Republicans quickly hailed as progress toward ending a monthslong stalemate over this year’s appropriations to the University of Pittsburgh and other state-related institutions. But at least one potential glitch has developed — a big one. The House, where Democrats hold a...
Bills to combat hate crimes gain Pennsylvania House approval
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Three bills seeking to expand and strengthen Pennsylvania’s anti-hate crime statutes were passed Tuesday by the state House of Representatives. All members of the chamber’s Democratic majority supported the proposals along with a handful of Republicans, voting amid national concerns about a spike in hate crimes during...
