Pennsylvania category, Page 136
Pa. covid hospitalizations decline for 10th straight day
Hospitalizations for covid-19 dropped in Pennsylvania for the 10th straight day, according to data released Saturday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Saturday’s total of 2,207, is down 76 from Friday. That’s is a decline of almost 23% from the 2,842 who were hospitalized on April 21. In the state,...
Pa. man admits to voter fraud in casting dead mother’s ballot
MEDIA — A Pennsylvania man who illegally voted for Donald Trump on behalf of his long-dead mother in last year’s presidential election was sentenced Friday to five years of probation. Bruce Bartman, 70, of Marple pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of perjury and one count of unlawful voting. Besides...
Pa. leaders deadlock on final member of district-drawing panel
HARRISBURG — The Republican and Democratic floor leaders of the Pennsylvania House and Senate said Friday they can’t agree who should be the tie-breaking fifth member of the panel that will redraw the state’s legislative district lines. The announcement means the chairperson of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission will be selected...
Backlog of covid cases contributes to rise in Pennsylvania; Allegheny, Westmoreland also up
Pennsylvania on Friday saw an uptick in covid-19 cases, with similar rises reflected in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. The increase comes as nearly half the state’s population has at least one dose of covid vaccine. Cases The state added 4,607 cases of covid-19, the most reported in a single day...
Pennsylvania Senate OKs bill to halt plans to toll bridges
Republicans in Pennsylvania’s Senate are trying to make Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration start over on its plans to toll up to nine major bridges, approving a bill Tuesday to require the state Department of Transportation to undergo a new process that includes approval from the Legislature. The bill passed the...
Addiction treatment providers in Pa. face little state scrutiny despite harm to clients
This investigation is a joint project of KHN, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues, and Spotlight PA, an independent, collaborative newsroom dedicated to producing investigative journalism for all of Pennsylvania. When Ian Kalinowski was at work, his mom usually texted him. So when he saw her...
Nearly half of all Pennsylvanians have at least 1 covid vaccine shot
Over 6 million people in Pennsylvania (47.3% of residents) have at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and more than 3.8 million have been fully vaccinated (30.3% of residents), according to the data posted by the state on Thursday. And locally, the state reported that 655,660 of Allegheny County...
Pa. drug overdose deaths rose in 2020, likely fueled by pandemic, officials say
Overdose deaths in Pennsylvania ticked upward in 2020 after two years of relatively stable numbers, something officials say is likely the ripple effect of a pandemic that caused an influx of stress and isolated people from their support systems. “The uncertain, stressful and isolating nature of the pandemic has caused...
Pennsylvania sending covid-19 vaccines to more providers
HARRISBURG — Covid-19 vaccines will be sent to more providers in Pennsylvania, widening the distribution network this week to include doctors, small pharmacies and others as part of its effort to overcome lingering hesitancy among residents who have yet to get the shot. The Health Department said Wednesday it allocated...
How Pa. troopers use sweating, stuttering during traffic stops to launch vehicle searches
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 — When Brandon Neely was pulled over in August 2020 for crossing into the area between a highway lane and...
Westmoreland County reaches 100,000 fully vaccinated against covid
Westmoreland County surpassed 100,000 residents fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to information released Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Westmoreland is the 10th county in the state to hit that mark. In total, there are 100,080 fully vaccinated in the county and 49,232 partially vaccinated. Overall in the...
Pa. State System moves ahead with mergers of 6 universities, including California, Clarion, Edinboro
Plans to consolidate six struggling state-owned universities into two mega schools with six campuses were approved for public comment Wednesday morning. The board of governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education voted to begin a 60-day comment period on a plan to consolidate and rename California, Clarion and...
What alcohol did Pennsylvanians buy most in the past pandemic year?
This past year has been a really long decade. At least it sure felt like it. For some, nay many, a taste of alcohol provided some comfort. But what exactly has been the drink of choice for those in Pennsylvania over the past 12 months? One thing’s for sure: Pennsylvanians...
Pennsylvania’s ‘Move Over’ law now in effect for motorists
It’s a familiar situation for drivers: They see a stopped vehicle in the emergency lane on the right side of the road, with a police officer or first responder providing aid. For safety reasons, drivers in the right-hand lane have been encouraged to slow down or, ideally, to move to...
Real ID deadline extended again
The Real ID has again been postponed — until 2023. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced the extension of Real ID enforcement from Oct. 1, 2021, to May 3, 2023. The decision was based on “circumstances resulting from the ongoing covid-19 pandemic,” the DHS said in a statement....
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro condemns Vandergrift police officer’s conduct
Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement official condemned Vandergrift police Officer William Moore’s conduct during a police call this month, saying the officer “should not be trusted” to carry out the duties of his job. Footage of the April 17 incident that started inside G&G Restaurant was taken by a Black patron...
Allegheny, Westmoreland covid hospitalizations down more than 15% from last week
Covid hospitalizations have been trending in a positive direction recently for the state and local counties. New covid data show that from last week to Tuesday, hospitalizations in Pennsylvania as well as Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have decreased somewhat significantly. Hospitalizations Pennsylvania saw a sixth consecutive day of decrease to...
Pa. offering up rare whiskeys in lotteries
It’s a bourbon and rye whiskey lovers’ heaven this week in Pennsylvania. Keystone State residents will have a chance to purchase 213 bottles of 28 rare whiskeys this week. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) is holding five separate lotteries, each with multiple drawings, for Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve...
Pennsylvania will lose a U.S. House seat after redistricting
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan 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 lose one of its seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Census Bureau has confirmed, setting...
Pennsylvania officials set sights on vaccinating homebound residents
As the pace of covid-19 vaccinations continues to accelerate in Pennsylvania, state officials have turned their attention to people who are unable to leave their homes. “Now we’re at the point where supply is coming close to demand,” Gov. Tom Wolf said Monday during a news conference in Reading. “We...
Judge sets hearing on former Penn State president Graham Spanier’s pending jail sentence
HARRISBURG — Graham Spanier’s lawyers are expected to be in a Pennsylvania courtroom next month as a judge considers whether the former Penn State president should have to report to jail to start serving his sentence related to the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal. Dauphin County President Judge John F....
Allegheny County posts lowest single-day covid case report in 6 months
For the first time since Oct. 26, Allegheny County has posted a single-day covid case number below 100. Monday’s report by the Allegheny County Health Department shows 94 new coronavirus cases, something that hasn’t happened in the past six months. While health officials have often said Monday’s case counts are...
Prototype of 1st U.S. dollar coins auctioned for $840,000
A piece of copper that was struck by the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia in 1794 and was a prototype for the fledgling nation’s money was auctioned off for $840,000, considerably more than expected, an official said. Heritage auctions spokesman Eric Bradley said the “No Stars Flowing Hair Dollar” opened at...
Last week of April honors ‘father of Pennsylvania forestry,’ Joseph T. Rothrock
Joseph T. Rothrock dedicated much of his life to educating Pennsylvanians about the importance of the forests and natural areas that were once much more abundant in the Keystone State. Born in 1839 in Mifflin County, Rothrock began his career as a botanist and surgeon before starting the “Michaux Forestry...
Why it’s dangerous that workers in Pa. prisons, covid-19 hot spots, aren’t getting vaccinated
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 delayed upgrade to the state Department of Corrections’ dashboard on covid-19 rates in prisons has revealed that only...
