Pennsylvania category, Page 67
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...
Philadelphia state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announces bid for auditor general
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announced on Thursday he will be vying for the Democratic nomination for state auditor general in 2024. Standing outside the Pennsylvania Capitol, the 32-year-old Philadelphia lawmaker said he is running to take back the office that had been in Democratic hands for 24 years until 2020...
Former Pa. Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar to join Pitt as visiting scholar
Former Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar is joining the University of Pittsburgh as a visiting scholar and adjunct professor, campus officials announced Thursday. She will work in Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security and also teach as an adjunct in the university’s School of Law. Boockvar’s work will...
How much do Pa. government workers make? More are seeing $200K+ pay
From candy to cars, the price of everything is going up — and that includes government salaries. PennLive’s annual roundup of six-figure earners in Pennsylvania state government attracts a lot of attention — and criticism. Now, with membership in this once-exclusive “club” growing so large — approaching 12,000 employees in...
Senate OKs Shapiro picks for attorney general, police chief
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s nominees for attorney general and state police commissioner won unanimous approval from Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday — a smooth landing for his top two public safety appointees. Michelle Henry, a career prosecutor from Bucks County before becoming Shapiro’s top deputy at the attorney...
Advocacy group says higher ed funding in Shapiro’s proposed budget shows ‘appalling neglect’
A Pennsylvania group that advocates for public education says it is “deeply disappointed and concerned” by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed funding support for state-owned universities in his first proposed state budget. Shapiro’s 2% increase includes neither the funding that system leaders sought to freeze tuition for a fifth straight year...
Pa. lawmaker Mike Zabel quits amid sex harassment allegations
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker submitted his resignation letter Wednesday, a week after a union lobbyist accused him by name of having sexually harassed her four years ago. Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel of Delaware County said in the letter to Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton that his resignation will take...
State university scholarship initiative not included in Shapiro’s budget, nor is aid sought to freeze tuition
Leaders of Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities said boosting Commonwealth funding by 3.8% to $573.5 million would enable them to consider freezing tuition across the 85,000-student system for a fifth straight year this fall. But when Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday unveiled his proposed state budget for 2023-24, he included about half...
Speaker Joanna McClinton sets vote during May primary to fill House vacancy
HARRISBURG — A special election to fill a state House vacancy in a Republican-leaning district was scheduled on Tuesday to take place during the May primary. Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia announced that the vote to succeed former Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver will take place on May 16. Schlegel...
Shapiro’s $44.4B budget pitch keeps Pa. spending relatively flat, preserves some pandemic benefits
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 — In his first budget proposal as Pennsylvania’s chief executive, Gov. Josh Shapiro is calling for $1 billion in new...
16 Pa. GOP female lawmakers call on Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel accused of sexual harassment to resign
Pressure continues to mount on a Delaware County Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel to resign in the wake of the sexual harassment accusations leveled against him with the latest call for him to step down coming from a group of 16 House Republican lawmakers. In a letter sent on Monday to...
Fetterman ‘on his way to recovery,’ chief of staff says
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s staff said Monday that he is being briefed on activity and discussing updates on legislation and other priorities, several weeks after he checked himself into the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. Fetterman’s chief of staff Adam Jentleson said he had a productive morning with Fetterman...
Pa. game commission seeking genetic info on ‘tame’ ruffed grousesVideo
Have you been harassed by Pennsylvania’s state bird? The game commission wants to know. No, seriously. In the spring and fall, some ruffed grouses exhibit what wildlife experts refer to as “tame” behavior. Despite being completely wild animals, they show very little fear around people and will sometimes even act...
What to expect from Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first budget proposal
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 — As Gov. Josh Shapiro prepares to pitch his first state budget, he’s doling out a few hints about what...
Immigration activists try to stop Allentown hospital from sending comatose woman out of the country
Immigration activists are trying to stop an Allentown hospital from forcibly repatriating a desperately ill woman to her Dominican Republic homeland, saying the undocumented mother of two could die if sent away. The 46-year-old woman, identified only as S.C. to protect her privacy, experienced complications from surgery after suffering a...
Woman gets 12 to 24 years in I-76 crash that killed Pa. firefighter
NORRISTOWN, Pa. — A New Jersey woman has been sentenced to 12 to 24 years in prison in the death of a firefighter struck along with two other firefighters and a state trooper as they were responding to a crash on Interstate 76 in suburban Philadelphia more than a year...
Senate bill would continue to reduce state police funding from Motor License Fund
Senate Republicans in Pennsylvania advanced a bill that could reopen discussion about former Gov. Tom Wolf’s suggestion that communities without a police force should help fund the state police who provide services there. Senate Bill 121, introduced by Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Johnstown, continues the state’s recent trend of lessening...
What to Watch: Shapiro will pitch first budget as Pa. governor
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Josh Shapiro will deliver his first budget to the Legislature on Tuesday, as the Democrat aims in his first months to remake the state’s public school funding system and to put Pennsylvania on competitive footing with other states to attract major companies. Shapiro has been touring...
Pa. lawmaker accused of sexual harassment says he won’t resign, will seek treatment for ‘illness’
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 Pennsylvania lawmaker accused of sexual harassment says he won’t resign from office but will seek treatment for an...
Shapiro aims tax break at police officers, teachers, nurses
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Saying Pennsylvania is in the midst of a workforce crisis, Gov. Josh Shapiro said he will propose a three-year incentive of up to $2,500 a year for newly certified teachers, police officers and nurses when the Democrat unveils his budget plan on Tuesday. The incentive is a...
New Pa. House rules expand who can file a sexual harassment complaint against lawmakers
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 — Two months into an impasse-riddled session, the members of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives have passed the rules that will...
No bail for Pennsylvania man with explosives in suitcase
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania man admitted packing explosive materials, fuses and a lighter in a suitcase he checked for a commercial flight to Florida and fled the Lehigh Valley airport when he feared arrest, federal authorities said in a court document filed Thursday. Marc Muffley, 40, of Lansford, called his...
