Pennsylvania category, Page 52
3 Philadelphia officers injured in shooting after dispute about video game, police say; suspect dead
PHILADELPHIA — Three Philadelphia police officers responding to a home where people were arguing about a video game were wounded in a shootout Wednesday evening, authorities said. Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford told reporters the suspect was killed. The officers were taken to an area hospital, where they were in...
Aggravated assault charges filed in case of Philly motorcyclist seen smashing in back of woman’s carVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A man accused of being the motorcyclist seen smashing in the back of a woman’s car while her two young children were inside near Philadelphia’s City Hall and then waving a gun at her after she confronted him has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault. Prosecutors...
Attack ads and millions of dollars flow into race for Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat
HARRISBURG — Spending in the campaign for an open Pennsylvania state Supreme Court seat is picking up, with millions of dollars flowing into the race as the sides sharpen their attacks over questions about ethics and abortion rights. The race between Democrat Dan McCaffery and Republican Carolyn Carluccio won’t change...
Penn State suspends fraternity over alleged hazing incident
A Penn State University fraternity has been suspended for four years following an investigation into an alleged hazing incident. The sanction imposed on the Delta Theta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity runs through fall 2027. Details of the incident were not released by the university. The fraternity chapter was...
Bail set at $3M for Penn State student charged with vehicular homicide in State College crash
BELLEFONTE — Centre County’s top judge set bail at $3 million Wednesday for a Penn State student charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a fellow student who was killed while jogging near the University Park campus. Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine’s ruling gave Ahmed M. Alqubaisi, 20,...
Pa. bill would allow cities to crack down on illegal dirt bikes, ATVs
State legislators from Pennsylvania’s urban areas are hoping a bill that would allow cities to pass their own, stricter rules regarding dirt bikes and ATVs will help curb the problem of off-road vehicles ridden by thrill-seekers on city streets. The Pennsylvania House passed the bill Monday with a bipartisan 160-43...
Pennsylvania House proposes April 2 for presidential primary, 2 weeks later than Senate wants
HARRISBURG — Most Pennsylvania lawmakers want to move their state’s presidential primary election up from late April, but disagreements arose in the House on Tuesday over whether to embrace a Senate-backed plan that would shift the election to mid-March. A House committee first rejected, but later passed, a bipartisan Senate...
Pa.’s ‘snot otter’ gets prime spot on new state license plateVideo
The official state amphibian, despite its slimy appearance and a name — and nicknames — that can make young kids snicker, now appears on a Pennsylvania license plate. License plates featuring the Eastern Hellbender — aka the snot otter and Allegheny alligator — are now available for sale through PennDOT...
Philadelphia journalist who advocated for homeless and LGBTQ+ communities shot and killed at home
PHILADELPHIA — A journalist and advocate who rose from homelessness and addiction to serve as a spokesperson for Philadelphia’s most vulnerable was shot and killed at his home early Monday, police said. Josh Kruger, 39, was shot seven times at about 1:30 a.m. and collapsed in the street after seeking...
Ward rips Shapiro over handling of sexual harassment complaint against top aide
Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward lashed out at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration Monday over its handling of a sexual harassment allegation made by a female worker against a top aide of the governor. Ward, R-Hempfield, said it was “unacceptable” that Mike Vereb, Shapiro’s secretary of legislative affairs, remained...
Pa. court says state-owned universities violated pact by cutting faculty without discussion beforehand
Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court has issued a split opinion in a case with implications for faculty cuts imposed at 10 state-owned universities since 2021 and any future professor layoffs. In an opinion that partly affirmed an arbitrator’s earlier decision, the court said Friday that the State System of Higher Education failed...
Pennsylvania governor’s voter registration change draws Trump’s ire in echo of 2020 election clashes
HARRISBURG — Donald Trump has a familiar target in his sights: Pennsylvania’s voting rules. He never stopped attacking court decisions on mail-in ballots during the covid-19 pandemic, falsely claiming it as a reason for his 2020 loss in the crucial battleground state. Now, the former Republican president is seizing on...
Does the 2010s stink bug invasion hold any spotted lanternfly lessons?
Tracy Leskey remembers when the brown marmorated stink bug became “explosively invasive” in the early 2010s. “We had significant crop losses, some homeowners had thousands trying to overwinter in their houses,” said Leskey, a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Appalachian Fruit Research Station in West Virginia. Leskey...
Pitt trustees OK $100 million in campus renovations
University of Pittsburgh trustees on Friday elected a new chairman, received their first full report from Chancellor Joan Gabel on university progress and approved $100 million in campus building renovation projects. Board members meeting in the William Pitt Union in Oakland also encountered protests. They ranged from a boisterous but...
Top Shapiro staffer was accused of sexual harassment before resigning
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds the power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — A top official and longtime ally of Gov. Josh Shapiro who abruptly resigned this week had been accused months earlier of sexually...
PennWest University unveils its plan to seek a new president
PennWest University announced that it is embarking on a search for a successor to president Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, who stepped away from the job in February, effective immediately. “When I say embark, I mean we’re at the very, very beginning stages. We will communicate more as we go along,” PennWest Council...
Pa. Veterans’ Memorial to reopen at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery after repairs
The Pennsylvania Veterans’ Memorial at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery is ready to reopen to the public. The memorial near Annville, Lebanon County, was closed on Oct. 7, 2022, for structural repairs. It will reopen to the public on Monday. “The memorial, which was dedicated in 2001, is nationally recognized as...
Pa. liquor stores offering up several varieties of Japanese whisky
Pennsylvania’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits store is adding some international flavor to the whisky section this month, with several Japanese varieties available at select stores and online. The crown jewel in the group, at least based on price, is an 18-year-0ld Hakushu single-malt peated whisky created to celebrate Suntory...
Over 50 arrested after mobs ransacked Philadelphia stores. Dozens of liquor outlets are shut downVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Dozens of people faced criminal charges Wednesday after a night of social media-fueled mayhem in which groups of thieves, apparently working together, smashed their way into stores in several areas of Philadelphia, stuffing plastic bags with merchandise and fleeing, authorities said. Police said they made at least 52...
Charges dismissed against Philadelphia officer in fatal traffic-stop shooting of Eddie Irizarry
PHILADELPHIA — A judge dismissed murder and other charges Tuesday against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver through a rolled-up window — a confrontation police initially described as the officer shooting the driver after he lunged at him with a knife outside the car. Municipal Judge...
Jailbreaks in Pa. are not as common as recent events imply
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds the powerful to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania correctional institutions have been the subject of public scrutiny after two high-profile escapes this summer. But how frequent are these kinds...
Sen. Bob Casey joins chorus calling for indicted Sen. Menendez to resign
Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, joined a growing group of senators Tuesday in calling for embattled New Jersey U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez to resign. Menendez, a Democrat, and his wife were indicted Friday on charges that they took bribes including a luxury car, $480,000 in cash and $100,000 worth...
Judge dismisses charges against Philadelphia police officer in fatal traffic-stop shooting
PHILADELPHIA — A judge dismissed all charges, including a murder count, against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver who had a knife, agreeing with defense lawyers who said the officer could have feared for his life. The municipal judge ruled after a courtroom packed with police...
Democrat sees abortion, extremism as wedge issues in bid to unseat GOP Pennsylvania state treasurerVideo
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Democratic Pennsylvania state lawmaker announced Tuesday that he will run for treasurer in 2024, positioning himself as an ideological opposite to the Republican incumbent regarding abortion access and the 2020 election. Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, 37, announced his party primary candidacy for the seat held by incumbent...
TSA: Man caught with ‘stash of fake IDs’ at Johnstown airport
A New Jersey man traveling through a Western Pennsylvnaia airport using a fake ID was caught with a stash of additional fake IDs at a security checkpoint, officials announced Monday. The man was portraying to be someone else when he was stopped Friday at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport,...
