Pennsylvania category, Page 147
Delay in census data could put transparency in Pa.’s redistricting process at risk
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, including TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — The data needed to redraw Pennsylvania’s political...
For just 2nd time in 2021, Pa. reports new covid deaths in single digits
Pennsylvania reported seven additional covid-19 deaths Tuesday, per the state Department of Health. The deaths reported Tuesday increase the state’s death total to 23,126, with 1,465 deaths reported in February. Only once before this year have health officials reported such a low number of new covid-related deaths: Feb. 8 when...
Kate Gosselin sells Pa. house for nearly $1.1 million
The Pennsylvania house of reality TV star Kate Gosselin has been sold. Gosselin of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” and later “Kate Plus 8” had listed her home in Wernersville, Berks County, for nearly $1.3 million, according to People Magazine. The house sold for $1,085,000 on Jan. 25, according to...
Pennsylvanians consumed an average of 753 drinks each in 2020, study says
A new study has found that people in Pennsylvania really kept their spirits high in 2020. The study found that those in the Keystone State drank an average total of 753 drinks each by the end of the year. While this may not be surprising because of how stressful 2020...
The inside story of how Pennsylvania failed to deliver millions in coronavirus rent relief
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 — It was late August, just past noon, and time was running out. Bryce Maretzki was in charge of a...
Pennsylvania GOP may meet to discuss Toomey impeachment vote
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican Party is planning a meeting to potentially censure U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey amid a growing GOP backlash over his vote to convict Donald Trump during the former president’s second impeachment trial, county party officials said Monday. County party chairs said the state GOP chairman, Lawrence Tabas,...
New Pa. covid cases, deaths continue downward trend
As February hits its midpoint, Pennsylvania is continuing to see its cases of coronavirus decline — along with the number of those hospitalized and dying from the virus. Over the past two days, there were 4,516 new cases of coronavirus reported in Pennsylvania, according to data released Monday by the...
Doctors’ groups disagree with Pennsylvania on limiting who can administer covid-19 vaccine
PHILADELPHIA — Physician groups say they are “deeply troubled” that the Pennsylvania Department of Health plans to remove primary care providers from the list of those permitted to administer the covid-19 vaccine. “This is a time when we need all hands on deck so we can get the majority of...
Pa.’s lack of data prevents tracking of racial, ethnic disparities in vaccine distribution
Despite numerous studies predicting the likelihood of racial disparities and a supposed focus on equity in the rollout, Pennsylvania’s data tracking race and ethnicity in vaccine distribution currently is lacking. More than a month into the state’s vaccine rollout, about 34% of race data as it relates to distribution is...
Sen. Pat Toomey breaks with Republicans to vote for Trump’s conviction
Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., voted Saturday to convict former President Donald J. Trump in his second impeachment trial. Toomey is one of seven Republican senators who voted “guilty” on the charge of inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. All 50 Democratic senators voted to convict. But...
Pennsylvania logs 4,000 more covid cases, 113 deaths
Pennsylvania health officials on Saturday reported 4,088 new coronavirus cases, a slight increase, as hospitalizations continue to decrease in the Keystone State. The new data bring the total cases to 892,344. That’s a jump of almost 27,000 additional cases from this time last week. Two weeks ago, the increase was...
Pennsylvania grant program to support hemp industry, which shrunk in 2020
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has announced a new grant program to promote the state’s hemp products, supporting a nascent agricultural industry that has faced plenty of growing pains. Pennsylvania farmers planted less than 1,000 acres of hemp last year, down about 75% from 2019. Less than half of those...
Philadelphia-area lawyer defending Trump accustomed to political disaster
HARRISBURG — Bruce L. Castor Jr. answered his cellphone, but he had no time to talk. “I’m 12 minutes from prime time,” he said, before heading to the well of the U.S. Senate to defend his client, Donald Trump, as one of the defense lawyers in the ex-president’s second impeachment...
Pennsylvania adds 3,987 covid cases, 99 deaths
Pennsylvania on Friday reported 3,987 additional cases of covid-19, keeping the seven-day average below 4,000 for the eighth consecutive day. The state’s seven-day case average has been trending mostly downward since peaking above 10,000 in mid-December. It currently sits at 3,797. Of the newly reported cases, 3,337 are confirmed via...
Kentucky man held for trial in pepper spraying of Capitol officers
A federal judge has ruled there is probable cause in the case against a man accused of spraying at least two officers with an irritant during the violent siege on the Capitol in January. During a probable cause hearing Thursday, federal prosecutors presented videos and photos of the Jan. 6...
Pa. state trooper, 3 others accused of illegal activity at strip club
MAYFIELD — A Pennsylvania state trooper and three other people were charged Thursday with operating a corrupt organization involving prostitution, gambling and money laundering at a Lackawanna County strip club the trooper co-owns. Robert Covington Jr., 48, who has served with the state police for 13 years, surrendered at the...
Covid hospitalizations in Pennsylvania drop again
For the second day in a row, hospitalizations in Pennsylvania dropped by more than 100 patients. According to the state covid-19 dashboard, the number of residents hospitalized for the virus is 2,687, down 102 from Wednesday, which was down 101 from Tuesday. Hospitalizations in the state have been on a...
Pa. Attorney General Shapiro files memorandum in Trump impeachment
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro does not have a role in the ongoing impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, but he wanted to ensure U.S. senators sitting as jurors understand Pennsylvania’s role in the Nov. 3 election. Shapiro, a Democrat, who repeatedly defended the state’s election as free and...
Pennsylvania adds 3,378 covid cases; Fayette County surpasses 10,000 cases
Fayette County became the 27th county in Pennsylvania to surpass 10,000 coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 29 additional cases to bring Fayette’s total to 10,022. In the region, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland have already surpassed that mark. Overall in the state, 3,378 additional...
Sheetz announces pay increases, plan to give new moms time off with pay
Altoona-based Sheetz today said it will invest $28.5 million in employee wage increases and give new mothers 12 weeks off with full pay. Sheetz said the pay increases will be effective Feb. 12 for “the majority” of its 18,000 employees. Sheetz did not elaborate on how much the wage increases...
Commonwealth Court establishes presence on Twitter
During the flurry of legal activity in Pennsylvania following the results of the November election, the state’s Commonwealth Court staff was firing out press releases at a record pace as cases were heard and decided. Now, the public will have a better chance of following the court’s activity by way...
Gov. Wolf announces new covid vaccine task force
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced the creation of a joint task force aimed at improving the state’s vaccine rollout, including several members of the General Assembly from both sides of the political aisle. “We have a good working relationship with our legislators, and we know they are the eyes,...
Pennsylvania mail-in ballot registry isn’t as permanent as the word implies
Editor’s note: A prior version of this story incorrectly stated the impact of ignoring a letter regarding the requirement to apply for mail in ballots annually even if voters registered for the “permanent mail-in ballot list.” Pennsylvania’s 2019 mail-in ballot law continues to create confusion as election officials across the...
Pennsylvania tool lets you know when it’s your turn to get covid vaccine
The Pennsylvania Department of Health launched another new online tool to help with covid-19 vaccine information, and residents now can sign up for alerts as to when they’re eligible. The website, called Your Turn, first will determine whether a person is eligible for the vaccine and, if they aren’t, give...
Gov. Wolf outlines plan to raise Pa.’s minimum wage to $15 by 2027
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday joined Democrats in the General Assembly to lay out a plan to raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour effective in July. From there, he said, the wage would be raised 50 cents a year until it reaches $15 by July 2027. “Our...
