Pennsylvania category, Page 83
Former Penn State president Graham Spanier defends himself in new book
Former Penn State University President Graham Spanier has written a book alleging that he, deceased Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and two other university administrators were falsely accused of — and unjustly punished for — covering up child abuse by former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. “The book is an...
Pa. law protects workers who are approved for medical marijuana — but once they use it, it’s a different story
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. Vague legal safeguards for medical marijuana users in Pennsylvania are forcing patients to choose between their job and a drug they...
Oz backs U.S. Senate bill to protect same-sex marriage rights
Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz has joined more than 400 Republican leaders who are calling on the Senate to pass legislation to protect marriage rights for same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage was legalized in 2015 after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision, but Justice Clarence Thomas hinted this...
Debate talks in Pennsylvania governor, Senate races devolve into trash talk, predawn tweets
They can’t even agree on when, where or how to disagree. In two of the most important races in the country, Pennsylvania’s candidates for U.S. Senate and governor are hurling insults at each other over what was once a relatively routine process: negotiating a time and place for debates. Mehmet...
Why did Penn State create a new VP position during a hiring freeze?
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. The Penn State Transparency Tracker is an ongoing effort by Spotlight PA to document and...
Ex-Harrisburg councilman convicted of sharing child porn tells judge ‘I thought the rules didn’t apply to me’
Former Harrisburg councilman Brad Koplinski once ran for lieutenant governor. But on Monday, he was facing a Dauphin County judge after pleading guilty to 15 counts of possessing child pornography. “Humiliation is not a negative term. It is a return to humility,” Judge William Tully told Koplinski before sentencing him...
Pa. election 2022: Your complete guide to the candidates for governor
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 2022 election for Pennsylvania governor is coming soon, and Spotlight PA wants to make sure you are prepared...
Pa. high court tells Wolf it won’t fast track amendments lawsuit
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court on Monday rejected a request from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf that it immediately take up his challenge to Republican legislation that has bundled a constitutional amendment regarding abortion with four unrelated proposed changes. In turning down Wolf’s request, the justices said he was free to...
‘Women are the reason we can win,’ John Fetterman says at abortion rights rally
John Fetterman looked out at a gymnasium packed with people wearing bright pink “Fetterwoman” T-shirts and predicted that women would be the difference-maker in his closely watched Senate race. “Women are the reason we can win,” Fetterman said in Blue Bell. “Lemme say that again: Women are the reason we...
Doug Mastriano’s security bubble insulates him from prying eyes and dissenting views
On a weekday afternoon in late August, Doug Mastriano’s campaign bus pulled up outside Gatsby’s Bar & Grill in suburban Philadelphia just after 1 p.m. The words “Restore Freedom” were emblazoned on the side over a red outline of Pennsylvania. It had been billed as a meet-and-greet. Enthusiastic Republicans were...
Wolf administration expands access to voter registration forms ahead of election
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 — Pennsylvania will now offer voter registration forms at libraries, state park offices and state-run veterans homes, among other locations,...
Free breakfasts for all Pa. schoolchildren to start soon
Pennsylvania parents will soon be able to check making breakfast off their list of things to do in the morning rush to get their children ready for school. Starting Oct. 1 and running through the remainder of the 2022-23 school year, that morning meal will be provided in schools. Gov....
Amid campaign, Mastriano’s disputed dissertation made public
HARRISBURG — A Canadian university has quietly made public Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano’s 2013 doctoral thesis about a legendary World War I hero, including six pages of recently added corrections that, in some cases, do not appear to fix anything. Researchers who have long criticized Mastriano’s investigation into U.S....
Trump pulls photo of Pa. troopers from atop social media after police say it was for memorabilia only
Donald Trump removed a photo from the top of his social media page Thursday of him posing with 31 uniformed Pa. troopers after police said they did not give the former president permission to publish it. Trump left the photo in his news feed on his social media account at...
Pennsylvania school directors speak out against Doug Mastriano’s education funding plan
An open letter to Pennsylvania families and voters being circulated around the state by public school board members issues a warning about the threat that they believe Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano poses to the public education system. The letter drew 59 signatures from school directors from 24 school districts...
Gov. Tom Wolf announces $100 million in new funds to curb gun violence across Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday announced more than $100 million in new funding for community groups working to curb gun violence across the commonwealth. The governor made the announcement from Mander Playground in North Philadelphia, one of many neighborhoods that have seen firsthand the toll of rapidly...
John Fetterman agrees to 1 debate against Mehmet Oz in Pa. Senate race
HARRISBURG — Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman of Pennsylvania will participate in just one debate, his campaign said Wednesday, after weeks of his Republican rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz, pressuring Fetterman and aggressively questioning the severity of his lingering health problems from a stroke. Fetterman’s campaign said he will participate in...
Audit: Pa. Turnpike’s future financial viability requires immediate legislative action
Without some legislative action and innovative solutions, the Pennsylvania Turnpike could be on its way to becoming the “nicest roadway in the nation that no one ever uses,” said state Auditor General Timothy DeFoor. The turnpike commission has accumulated $13.2 billion in debt — or $1.5 billion more than the...
Police: Shark kills Erie woman snorkeling in Bahamas
A 58-year-old woman who was a longtime employee at Erie’s Gannon University was killed in a shark attack while snorkeling with her family in the Bahamas on Tuesday, the university said. Gannon identified the woman as Caroline DiPlacido in a statement released to the university community on Wednesday morning. She...
New Jersey man accused of raping Penn State student in dorm room, police say
A New Jersey man was accused Tuesday of raping a Penn State student inside her dorm room. Jacob S. Tillman, 20, told university police during an interview last month there is “no doubt in my mind that I raped her,” a detective wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. “I...
Pa. Capitol rioter turned in by his ex-girlfriend after he called her a ‘moron’ gets 9 months in prison
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania man who was turned in by his ex-girlfriend after he called her a “moron” for not believing Democrats had stolen the 2020 presidential election was sentenced to nine months in federal prison Tuesday for participating in the Capitol riot. Richard Michetti, 29, of Ridley Park, was...
Oz, Toomey call on Fetterman to debate in Pa. Senate raceVideo
HARRISBURG — Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz teamed up with U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey on Tuesday to publicly call on his Democratic rival, John Fetterman, to participate in a debate in their high-profile Pennsylvania race. Oz and Toomey, holding a news conference in Philadelphia, also questioned Fetterman’s fitness for...
Pa. roads, bridges to get extra $175M as funding is freed up from state police
An adjustment in Pennsylvania’s state budget will free up an additional $175 million this fiscal year to improve roads and bridges. For years, a portion of the state’s Motor License Fund — intended to provide money for public transportation and highway infrastructure — was instead allocated to the Pennsylvania State...
Pa. lawmakers spent at least $3M on private lawyers, experts during redistricting battle, invoices show
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 — Pennsylvania state lawmakers spent at least $3 million in taxpayer money on outside law firms and experts as they...
Trump moves to general election mode with Wilkes-Barre rally
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Larry Mitko voted for Donald Trump in 2016. But the Republican from Beaver County in western Pennsylvania says he has no plans to back his party’s nominee for Senate, Dr. Mehmet Oz — “no way, no how.” Mitko doesn’t feel like he knows the celebrity heart surgeon,...
