Pennsylvania category, Page 66
Pa. woman gets 3 years in prison for entering Nancy Pelosi’s office during Jan. 6 Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — A Pennsylvania woman linked to a far-right extremist movement was sentenced on Thursday to three years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol, where she invaded then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office with other rioters. Riley June Williams, 23, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was charged but not convicted of helping...
Costa legislation could keep some homeowners in growing areas from being taxed out of homes
State Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa has introduced legislation that he said would protect longtime homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. Costa, D-Forest Hills, said the Longtime Owner-Occupant Tax Exemption Program, or LOOP, would allow first- and second-class cities and counties — including Pittsburgh and Allegheny County —...
Sen. Fetterman expected back ‘soon,’ no certain timeline yet
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s office said Thursday that he is expected to return soon to the chamber, although Democratic leaders are giving no timeline five weeks after he sought inpatient treatment for clinical depression. Fetterman, 53, was weeks into his service in Washington and still recovering from the...
Thousands of homeowners still at risk as Pa. alleges improper denials, delays in mortgage relief
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 —The state agency overseeing Pennsylvania’s troubled mortgage relief program has leveled a slew of new accusations against the private contractor...
What you need to know as Pa.’s trout season opener approaches
It may take place on April Fool’s Day this year, but it’s certainly no joke. Each year, thousands upon thousands of anglers across Pennsylvania eagerly look forward to the opening day of trout season. It’s a cherished time of the year when people get together with family and friends to...
‘Jeopardy’ contestants make quick work of ‘Made in Pa.’ category
Some famous Pennsylvania-made products were featured last night, Tuesday, March 21, 2023, on the long-running game show “Jeopardy!” The three contestants even included a Pennsylvania woman - the returning champ Melissa Klapper of Merion Station in Montgomery County. Klapper won again last night and has a two-day total of $42,200....
Ex-officer sentenced in abuse of teenagers in Bucks County drug program
DOYLESTOWN — A former suburban Philadelphia police officer has been sentenced to decades in prison on convictions of sexual abuse of several teenage boys while he was working with a youth drug prevention program decades ago. Bucks County Judge Wallace Bateman Jr. on Tuesday sentenced 54-year-old James Carey to 24...
Shapiro says tax credits for new teachers needed to address shortage in Pa. schools
Pennsylvania certified more than 20,000 teachers every year a decade ago, but those numbers have dropped dramatically, Gov. Josh Shapiro said during a Tuesday visit to Pittsburgh’s Colfax K-8 school. Shapiro said the state certified only 6,100 teachers last year. At the news conference in Squirrel Hill, Shapiro said he...
Suspended Somerset County DA being held in Cambria Prison until sentencing
EBENSBURG — Suspended Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Thomas will await sentencing under “protective custody” inside Cambria County Prison for his assault conviction, the prison’s warden said. In doing so, he’ll spend the next two months in a private cell. However, the fact he’ll be segregated from the rest of...
Pa. legislators frustrated with Norfolk Southern CEO’s appearance before Senate committee
Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw’s appearance before a state Senate committee on Monday focused heavily on the decision to purposely burn the leaking chemicals, which sent a plume of ash and smoke into Pennsylvania. Shaw’s repeated insistence that a “unified command” group of government and agency officials, led...
$9.25 million settlement announced in 2020 protest lawsuits
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia officials announced a $9.25 million settlement Monday with hundreds of people over several lawsuits challenging the police response to the protests and civil disorder in 2020 after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. Officials said the money will be distributed among 343 plaintiffs in...
Central Pa. school board rejects ‘Addams Family’ musical
A Central Pennsylvania school board last week voted against allowing high school students to perform “The Addams Family” musical next year, according to WITF. School directors debated for about 30 minutes before the majority concluded that the musical promotes bad values and is inappropriate for families, the news outlet reported....
Opponents of Saturday deer opener cite negative economic, social impacts
A few years ago, Randy Santucci’s deer hunting season would begin at a leisurely pace once Thanksgiving was over. “People would start trickling into camp on Saturday, we’d do a campfire Saturday night, my brother would fly in from South Carolina with a bunch of dove breasts from hunting, and...
Pa. delegation pushes to end opioid treatment co-pays, saying many people thwarted by cost
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey this week introduced a bill that would lower costs for people who need drug addiction treatment. Another Pennsylvania Democrat, U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, said she would introduce a similar bill in the U.S. House. What would the bills do? Mainly, they would eliminate insurance deductibles and...
Pa. woman mauled to death while caring for neighbor’s dogs, coroner says
A woman who went to her neighbor’s Perry County home to feed their dogs while they were out of town was mauled to death by the pets, authorities said. Two Great Danes killed Kristen Potter, 38, of New Bloomfield, around 5 p.m. Thursday on the 700 block of Clouser Hollow...
Pa. woman whose wheelchair was shoved down stairs by Mercyhurst student athletes lost legs in car wreck
A 22-year-old Erie woman who lost both of her legs in a car crash in 2021 owned the wheelchair that was shoved down a flight of stairs by Pa. college student athletes at a bar Saturday night, PennLive has found. Sydney Benes, who has a TikTok account under the name...
Pa. prosecutors call Jerry Sandusky’s latest appeal ‘variations on a theme’
State prosecutors have sized up Jerry Sandusky’s latest appeal of his conviction on a battery child sex abuse charges, and they say it amounts to little more than a variation on a theme “that has already been thoroughly explored, litigated, reviewed and rejected.” For that reason, the prosecutors said, Judge...
Penn State president says cuts will be deeper than anticipated as leaders finalize layoff plans
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. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — A Penn State administrator directed university leaders representing nearly all departments to...
Gov. Shapiro’s NCAA bracket pits Pitt vs. Penn State in Sweet 16
It’s a bold prediction. One only a Pennsylvania governor could dream up. Right there in his Sweet 16 round, Gov. Josh Shapiro has Pitt meeting Penn State in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The governor shared his bracket Wednesday on social media. It's the best three weeks in basketball, Pennsylvania.Take a...
Bill seeks to move Pa. firearms deer season opener back to Monday
As the debate around the timing of the opening day of the Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season continues, a Lehigh Valley legislator has joined the ranks of those considering moving the opener back to its traditional Monday after Thanksgiving. Last week, state Sen. Lisa Bosola posted a legislative memo looking for...
Pa.’s ‘Most Wanted’: How do Pennsylvania State Police decide who makes the list?
Five are wanted for killing or trying to kill someone. One, a suspected rapist, police have been trying to apprehend since 1998. Police say they’ve committed crimes against people in the commonwealth’s biggest cities, as well as in small towns like Meadville or in suburban Chester County. And now they...
Invasive species are a ‘scourge’ in Pa., report says
Pennsylvania has been hit with a slew of invasive species over the years, from spotted lanternflies colonizing Pittsburgh bridges to emerald ash borers destroying the state’s timber stock. In a report released Monday, the Pennsylvania Governor’s Invasive Species Council recommends a statewide response to tackle the threat of invasive species,...
New Pa. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis fires 2 employees touted as ‘success stories’
As one of his first official acts, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis fired two employees who had been touted as prime examples of successful second chances. Davis, however, is refusing to take responsibility for the firings. Davis, a McKeesport native, fired George Trudel, 56, and Naomi Blount Wilson, 72, from...
Pa. hospital’s revoked property tax exemption is ‘warning shot’ to other nonprofits, expert says
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. HARRISBURG — A Commonwealth Court judge recently revoked a Southeastern Pennsylvania hospital’s property tax exemption and denied appeals regarding three others, decisions...
Determining if someone is mentally fit for trial in Pa. often traps them in the place making them worse — jail
This story is a collaboration between Spotlight PA and the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, published as part of a Pittsburgh Media Partnership project. Sign up for Spotlight PA’s free newsletters here. Rachel Bridgeman thought she could hear God. Locked in the Allegheny County Jail, she slid from reality. The...
