Pennsylvania category, Page 99
Bail denied for Montgomery County woman in crash that killed Pa. state troopers, man
PHILADELPHIA — A judge has denied bail to a woman charged with third-degree murder in an early morning crash on a Philadelphia interstate that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania troopers and a civilian. Jayana Tanae Webb, 21, of Eagleville was ordered held pending an April 5 hearing on charges...
Pennsylvania liquor board reverses decision on CBD edibles
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board on Wednesday reversed decisions from last year and said it will not allow beer and wine licensees to sell edible products containing the marijuana extract called CBD. The decision to rescind the approval was made at the request of the state Department of...
Murder charges filed in I-95 crash that killed Pa. state troopers, manVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A woman has been charged with third-degree murder and vehicular homicide while driving under the influence in an early morning crash on a Philadelphia interstate that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania troopers and a civilian. State police said Tuesday that the charges against 21-year-old Jayana Tanae Webb...
4 GOP candidates for Pa. governor set rules to join a debate
HARRISBURG — Four Republican candidates for governor in the party’s crowded primary race say they will not join a debate before the primary election unless it is moderated by a Republican who lives in Pennsylvania, eliciting criticism that they are afraid of hard questions. The four — Lou Barletta, Jake...
MacKenzie Scott gives Philly nonprofit $20 million to help needy get government benefits
PHILADELPHIA — Benefits Data Trust, a Philadelphia nonprofit that helps people overcome barriers to government benefits for food, housing and health care, received a $20 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the organization announced Tuesday. The gift allows the group to “energize our thinking...
State police: Phone scammers seeking donations for fallen troopers’ families
If you get a call asking to donate to the families of two fallen Pennsylvania state troopers, the president of their association wants you to know: It’s fake. The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association warned residents statewide this week about groups pretending to raise money for the families of troopers Martin...
2 Pennsylvania troopers, man killed; police open DUI probeVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Two Pennsylvania State Police troopers and a civilian were killed in a car crash on I-95 early Monday morning in what law enforcement officials described as a possible DUI incident. Around 12:45 a.m., troopers responded to calls about a man walking in a southbound traffic lane near Lincoln...
Philly protester pleads to lesser counts in 2020 police vehicle fires
PHILADELPHIA — A woman charged with setting fire to two police vehicles during civil disorder in Philadelphia following 2020 protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis has pleaded guilty to lesser offenses in an agreement with federal prosecutors. Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal, 35, pleaded guilty last week to two...
Pa. Supreme Court rejects legal challenges to state’s new legislative maps
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court has affirmed the state’s new legislative district...
Ex-hedge fund CEO aims to be hometown boy in Senate race in Pennsylvania
LEBANON — As CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund, David McCormick wore suits, lived on Connecticut’s ritzy Gold Coast, talked up bipartisanship and described China as America’s most important “bilateral relationship.” Now, as a Republican running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, McCormick wears jeans and casual dress shirts. He...
Merger of 6 Pennsylvania state universities gets OK by accrediting body
Pennsylvania’s state university system can proceed with plans to merge six of its 14 universities into two new entities under a decision announced Tuesday by its accrediting body. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education announced on its website the decision, which was one of the last significant hurdles for...
Drug task force head accused of taking $200K in seized cash
HARRISBURG — The fired head of Lancaster County’s drug task force was charged Tuesday with stealing more than $200,000 in money seized or forfeited by court orders during drug investigations over a six-year period. State prosecutors filed charges against John E. Burkhart, 56, of theft and tampering with evidence and...
The super PAC hammering Mehmet Oz as a RINO is getting money from longtime Democratic donors
PHILADELPHIA — Wealthy investors and executives supporting Republican Senate candidate David McCormick have helped flood Pennsylvania’s airwaves with ads accusing GOP rival Mehmet Oz of being too liberal, a RINO — Republican In Name Only. But some of those same donors have also supported some of the most liberal Democrats...
Former Pa. Attorney General Kathleen Kane arrested for DUI
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 — Former Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane was arrested Saturday in her hometown of Scranton for driving under the influence...
Dr. Rachel Levine named among Women of the Year by USA Today
Former Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine, who coordinated the commonwealth’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic before being appointed to the Biden administration, has been named among the Women of the Year by USA Today. Levine, the U.S. assistant secretary for health for the U.S. Department of Health...
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate continues to drop
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate fell one-tenth of a percentage point in January to 5.4 %, the lowest since March 2020, according to figures released by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. It’s the 21st consecutive month without an unemployment rate increase. The commonwealth’s unemployment rate was 2.1 percentage points below...
10 hurt in 73-vehicle pileup; no life-threatening injuries
NEW CUMBERLAND — State police said 10 people were injured in a crash involving 73 vehicles on a central Pennsylvania highway during a late winter storm over the weekend, but no life-threatening injuries were reported. Trooper Megan Ammerman said the crash was reported shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday on PA...
Former Carlisle police detective gets prison for trading official actions for sex
A former Pennsylvania police detective who served on a drug task force was sentenced Friday to more than six years in prison for having traded official actions for sexual favors. Former Carlisle police officer Christopher Collare, 54, of Blythewood, South Carolina, was sentenced to 75 months on charges of bribery,...
Trade group requests $294M increase in senior funding in Pa., citing Medicaid underfundingVideo
A trade association representing more than 370 senior housing, health care and community service providers in Pennsylvania are calling for state lawmakers to approve a $294 million increase in nursing home funding. The request comes on the heels of a report commissioned by LeadingAge PA showing that Pennsylvania nursing homes...
Pennsylvania payrolls, labor force grew in January
Pennsylvania’s payrolls grew again in January, the unemployment rate crept down and the labor force expanded after more than a year of contraction, according to new figures released Friday. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a percentage point to 5.4% from December’s adjusted rate, according to the state Department...
PennDOT picks construction group for bridge-tolling project
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has picked a consortium of companies to manage construction on as many as nine major interstate bridges in Pennsylvania — upgrades on the aging spans that are to be paid for by tolls under the administration’s current plan. Wolf’s push for tolling comes as...
The 4 reasons the Pa. Supreme Court picked the winning congressional map
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — In February, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court announced that it had...
Waning signups for Pa. child care program could forecast weak economic recovery
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. Roughly 25,000 fewer children in Pennsylvania are benefiting from a program that helps low-income families find affordable child care compared with...
Financial assistance program expanded for Pa. medical marijuana patients
The state Department of Health has expanded its financial assistance program for state medical marijuana patients, including waiving annual fees for eligible patients enrolled in financial hardship programs such as SNAP, Medicaid and WIC. The state said it also plans to distribute cash benefits to eligible patients. “The department is...
‘We want to win’: Democrats face choice in key Senate race in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — John Fetterman was sitting, alone, in the corridor outside the hotel ballroom where Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party committee members were gathered, looking every bit like someone who didn’t belong there. Moments later, Fetterman — Pennsylvania’s sitting lieutenant governor — got trounced by more than 2 to 1 by U.S....
