Pennsylvania category, Page 205

Janice Nathan’s chronic medical condition dates to nearly a decade before the Affordable Care Act protected her from being denied insurance coverage because of it. Nathan, 62, a speech-language pathologist from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, received a kidney transplant in 2001 while on an employer-sponsored health insurance plan. Three years...

Pennsylvania ranks among the worst states in which to start a new business, according to a new WalletHub study. The study, comparing 50 states across 26 indicators of startup success, ranked Pennsylvania 46th overall based on business environment, access to resources and business costs. Pennsylvania’s ranking put it below even...

Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities have a year to develop online, anonymous reporting systems to receive complaints about sexual assault from students and employees. That’s a requirement of a new law signed by Gov. Tom Wolf, who with the law’s backers say is the first law of its kind in the...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating after dozens of people across the country have contracted a multidrug-resistant form of salmonella believed to be linked to dog treats. The CDC reports 45 people in 13 states, including Pennsylvania, have been infected with the bacteria. No one has died,...

The question isn’t so much where are the turkeys, where aren’t there turkeys? The Pennsylvania Game Commission is conducting a turkey survey through Aug. 31 and is looking for residents to report their sighting via website and a mobile app. Observers need only report the number of turkeys, location, date...

Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill Friday that would have provided $90 million to help counties statewide upgrade voting machines because Republican Senate leaders tacked on a last-minute provision that would have nixed straight-ticket voting in Pennsylvania. Wolf further said that Senate Bill 48, “while purporting to secure elections, binds...

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police say a fisherman found part of a human leg with a sneaker on it in the Delaware River. The leg was discovered around 8 p.m. Thursday. But it’s not clear how it got into the river or how long it had been in the water. Authorities...

Whether it’s an experienced farmer who wants to get into hemp production or a young farmer who needs access to farmland, there’s seemingly something for everyone in the new Pennsylvania Farm Bill. Gov. Tom Wolf’s signing of the $23.1 million farm bill — a series of legislative initiatives within the...

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is signing legislation that his office says clarifies the options for who school districts and private schools can hire as armed security guards, although Wolf’s administration says it bars districts from allowing teachers to be armed. The bill Wolf signed Tuesday also expands training requirements...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has ordered a Greene County medical marijuana grower/processor to discontinue most of its operations after a surprise inspection found numerous violations. The state told AGRiMED Industries of Carmichaels to cease and desist harvesting, cutting or destroying marijuana plants without a department inspector present. During the...

State Senate Republicans issued a letter to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Tuesday expressing “grave concerns” over what they described as his “dereliction of duty and defiance as the presiding officer of the Senate.” Signed by all 28 Republicans in the state Senate, the letter refers to chaos — shouting, name...

Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday commuted the sentence of Robert Wideman, who was serving life in prison for his role in a 1975 murder. Wolf affirmed the Board of Pardons recommendation issued in May. Wideman, 68, of Homewood, was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Nicola Morena....

WILLIAMSPORT — The former mayor of Scranton has pleaded guilty to charges he shook down businesses for bribes and campaign contributions throughout his term and a half in office. Bill Courtright’s plea in federal court Tuesday to bribery, extortion and conspiracy came less than 24 hours after he resigned as...

Before the days of limited-release lotteries, savvy liquor aficionados would invade the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s website with internet bots in search of highly sought-after bourbons and whiskeys. The web robots significantly slowed down the state website, said Shawn Kelly, a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokesman. Pennsylvania residents often lost...

In an experiment being watched across the country, Pennsylvania court officials began scrubbing more than 3 million old, nonviolent criminal charges from the public docket over the weekend. They are scheduled to repeat that feat every month for the next year under the provisions of the state’s Clean Slate law....

Pennsylvania residents have until 11 p.m. Saturday to opt in to the latest limited-release lottery by the state Liquor Control Board. The July lottery features seven highly sought-after whiskeys, the board said. Entry is limited to one bottle per household, per lottery. Featured products include: Lottery One features two bottles...

Pennsylvania is among four states where fireworks have been recalled just ahead of the July 4 holiday. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced four fireworks-related recalls this week for fireworks that were “overloaded with pyrotechnics.” That can result in a greater than expected explosion, which poses explosion and burn...

HARRISBURG — Lower-level criminal convictions are starting to be automatically sealed under a year-old Pennsylvania state law touted as a way to give offenders a fresh start. State officials and other supporters on Friday called the “clean slate” legislation a model for other states. The court system plans to be...

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is poised to roll out its own online health insurance exchange to take the place of the one run by the federal government for the state’s residents since 2014, saying it can save money for hundreds of thousands of policy-buyers. The Republican-controlled Legislature gave final approval Friday...

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will offer its second and final Fish-For-Free Day of the year on July 4 when anyone can fish, even without a state fishing license. All other fishing regulations apply, though. The commission offers the free days to open up fishing opportunities for the public,...

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf prepared Friday to sign a $34 billion compromise budget after lawmakers wrapped up the week with a flurry of votes on hundreds of pages of legislation that in some cases drew angry protests from his fellow Democrats. Fueled by strong tax collections, the budget boosts...

Pennsylvania’s health secretary emphasized the importance of vaccination in the wake of a national measles outbreak. “Vaccines are a safe and effective way to protect yourself from a number of serious, life-threatening diseases,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement. “Getting your vaccinations can help protect those...

Pennsylvania advocates for redistricting reform will keep pushing for an independent commission to oversee the process in light of Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to keep courts out of state efforts to address gerrymandering. The high court’s conservative majority decided in a 5-4 ruling that partisan gerrymandering — drawing congressional...

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said he isn’t harboring any ill will over the chaotic scene that unfolded Wednesday while he was presiding over the state Senate. “I don’t take any of this personally,” he told the Tribune-Review on Thursday ahead of an expected vote on the state budget. Shouting, name-calling...

HARRISBURG — Republicans who control the Pennsylvania Legislature are inserting some pet policy objectives into hundreds of pages of just-unveiled legislation with the annual budget deadline days away, forcing Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to make hard choices. Amid the deadline brinksmanship, measures expected to advance Thursday included a $34 billion...