Pennsylvania category, Page 134
Pennsylvania’s largest teachers union in favor of in-person return
HARRISBURG — The president of Pennsylvania’s largest teachers union expressed support Monday for in-person instruction in the fall, calling it a “top priority” now that many teachers have been vaccinated and older children have become eligible for the covid-19 shot. “As more students are vaccinated over the summer, we believe...
‘So I raped you.’ Facebook message renews fight for justice for Gettysburg College grad
MOORESTOWN, New Jersey — Shannon Keeler was enjoying a weekend getaway with her boyfriend last year when she checked her Facebook messages for the first time in ages. A name popped up that stopped her cold. “So I raped you,” the person said in a burst of unread messages sent...
Nittany Lion Shrine, Penn State sign to close for 1 month for renovations
Penn State visitors hoping to snag a photo with the iconic Nittany Lion Shrine or the sign/stone wall near Beaver Stadium will need a backup plan for at least a month this summer. Both the Lion Shrine and the sign, which welcomes visitors with the words “Pennsylvania State University,” will...
Pennsylvania’s covid report dips under 1,000 for 1st time in over 7 months
It hasn’t happened since Oct. 5. That’s the last time Pennsylvania’s daily covid report showed fewer than 1,000 new cases. On Monday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health added just 872 new cases. It’s been 225 days since the state posted such a low number — adding 672 on Oct. 5....
Republican Lou Barletta to run for Pennsylvania governor
HARRISBURG — Lou Barletta, the Republican Party’s Donald Trump-endorsed nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018, is running for governor of Pennsylvania. Barletta, 65, becomes the most prominent figure to enter a 2022 governor’s race that Republicans have won every time in the past half-century when there is an outgoing Democratic...
Gun malfunction kills 1 at Pa. shooting range
One man is dead and another man has been injured after a handgun malfunction Saturday at a shooting range in Lackawanna County. Robert Hamm, 61, of Berwick handed his handgun to another man to shoot at the State Game Lands Shooting Range in Archbald, WNEP is reporting. The other man...
Police probing deaths of man, woman in Central Pennsylvania home
HARRISBURG — Authorities are investigating the deaths of a man and woman whose bodies were found in a Pennsylvania home. Swatara Township police said officers were called to the home just before midnight Friday on “a report of a domestic incident.” Officers who forced their way into the home found...
Allegheny County surpasses 100,000 covid-19 cases, half-million residents fully vaccinated
Allegheny has become the second county in Pennsylvania to surpass 100,000 cases of coronavirus. In its covid-19 report released Saturday, the Allegheny County Health Department reported 186 new cases of the virus. That brings the county’s total since the pandemic began to 100,039. Only Philadelphia, with 146,238 cases, has more....
Covid cases continue to drop across Pennsylvania as more get vaccinated
Reported cases of covid-19 and related deaths and hospitalizations continued their downward trend in Pennsylvania as the number of vaccinated residents marched upward. Pennsylvania on Friday added 1,643 cases of covid-19, pulling the seven-day case average down to 1,892, the 14th consecutive drop for the average, according to data from...
Senate bill would let residents donate to breast cancer research when renewing driver’s licensesVideo
When state Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward revealed this week that she’d been diagnosed with stage-one breast cancer late last year, she hoped she could use her position to help women both prevent and battle the disease. Her colleagues helped take a step in that direction, unanimously passing a bill...
Pennsylvania voters to decide racial equity amendment
HARRISBURG — Protests over George Floyd’s killing at the hands of Minneapolis police were raging across the country last June when a Democratic lawmaker took to the floor of the Pennsylvania Senate to argue for greater protections against racial discrimination. Next week, nearly a year after Floyd’s death, voters will...
Philly health official forced to resign over MOVE cremationsVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s top health official was compelled to resign Thursday after the city’s mayor said he learned human remains from the 1985 bombing of the headquarters of a Black organization had been cremated and disposed of without notifying family members. Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement that Health...
Gunman opens fire at memorial site, killing man, wounding 3
PHILADELPHIA — A gunman opened fire on a small crowd gathered at a memorial site for a shooting victim in Philadelphia, killing one man and wounding three others. The shooting occurred around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, as some crowd members were painting a mural on the side of a corner store...
Covid cases in Pennsylvania, Allegheny and Westmoreland counties continue to slow
Covid cases in Pennsylvania, as well as Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, have continued to slow. The Allegheny County Health Department reported 142 additional cases — 126 confirmed and 16 probable — on Thursday, with the county’s total reaching 99,709. The seven-day average of cases was 168, a 28.5% drop from...
Nurses, health care workers hold vigil to honor covid-19 victims and call for change
Nurses and health professionals from across the Poconos gathered together to remember those lives lost to the pandemic, and to call for action to prevent the loss of even more patients in the future on Tuesday afternoon. As part of Nurses Week 2021, a vigil for patient safety honoring the...
Some Pa. lawmakers tout expense transparency, but their websites tell a different story
Over the next year, The Caucus and Spotlight PA will examine and make public specific areas of spending by the legislature as part of their ongoing efforts to follow the money and track taxpayer dollars. Be the first to know by signing up for Spotlight PA’s free newsletters. Spotlight PA...
Allegheny County nears 100,000 covid cases, but at slower pace than rest of year
As Allegheny County draws nearer to reaching the 100,000 mark for covid-19 cases, it’s doing so at a slower pace in May than it has the rest of the year. The Allegheny County Health Department reported 183 additional cases on Wednesday, with the county’s total reaching 99,567. For May, the...
Pa. state government employees are slowly returning to the office after pandemic year
The pace of the return to the office is starting to pick up across Pennsylvania’s state government offices but signs point to a more liberal use of teleworking as a side effect of the covid-19 era. Remote working could be here to stay in some state agencies. A year of...
Pa. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. pushes police reforms aimed at dealing with those with disabilities
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and other Pennsylvania lawmakers are sponsoring legislation aimed at reducing the chance police encounters with those with disabilities or mental health issues will end tragically. Casey, D-Pa., is sponsoring what he’s dubbed the Law Enforcement Education and Accountability for People with Disabilities (LEAD) Initiative. It...
Citizen group appeals to Commonwealth Court to overturn Murrysville fracking ordinance
The Murrysville Watch Committee, a citizen group seeking to overturn the municipality’s unconventional gas drilling ordinance, had its appeal heard this week by the state’s Commonwealth Court. The hearing began with attorney John Smith, representing the Watch Committee, requesting that Commonwealth Court Judge Drew Crompton recuse himself from the proceeding....
Pennsylvania Republicans’ plans for election reform take shape in new report
PHILADELPHIA — As Republican lawmakers across the country have moved to tighten voting laws following former President Donald Trump’s lies about a stolen election, Pennsylvania’s GOP-controlled Legislature has waited to act during months of hearings. Now Republicans in Harrisburg are making their first moves, with the state House GOP releasing...
Sean Parnell expected to announce run for Pennsylvania Senate seat
HARRISBURG — Sean Parnell, a decorated Army veteran and regular guest on Fox News programs who became a favorite of former President Donald Trump, is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat. Parnell, who unsuccessfully challenged Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in...
Wolf: Indoor, outdoor event spaces in Pa. can increase capacity next week
Pennsylvania officials will increase capacity limits for indoor and outdoor event spaces Monday, though neither type can operate at full capacity yet. Gov. Tom Wolf said in a release Tuesday that occupancy limits for indoor events can increase to 50% and capacity for outdoor events can increase to 75% of...
Pa. covid case average drops to October level
The start of May has seen covid case numbers decline in Pennsylvania. With the declining figures, a key statistic has also dropped to a level it hadn’t been since October. Cases Pennsylvania reported 2,385 additional covid cases (1,669 confirmed, 716 probable) to its total Tuesday, according to the state Department...
Pa. Senate bill would give parents option of having child repeat grade
Allowing parents to hold back their child from being promoted to the next grade in 2021-22 due to learning loss during the covid-19 pandemic is now on track for consideration by the full Pennsylvania Senate. The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to advance this legislation that also gives parents of...
