Pennsylvania category, Page 23
AI photos showing girl students with nude bodies roil private school in Pennsylvania
Images that depict the faces of girls with nude bodies have led to the departure of leaders from a private school in Pennsylvania, prompted a student protest and triggered a criminal investigation. A juvenile suspect was “removed from” Lancaster Country Day School and his cellphone was seized by investigators in...
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro defends Sen. Bob Casey’s recount choice and points to Dave McCormick’s own failed recount
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday defended U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s decision to move forward with a recount, pointing to Republican Dave McCormick ‘s own unsuccessful recount in 2022 in a much closer election. Shapiro has been under pressure from state and national Republicans to intervene in the...
Officials say 2 taken to hospitals after small plane accident in Bucks County
DOYLESTOWN — Two people were taken to hospitals after a small plane struck an unoccupied plane at an eastern Pennsylvania airport, authorities said. Police in Bucks County’s Buckingham Township said first responders were sent to Doylestown Airport shortly before 12:30 p.m. Monday on a report of a single-engine plane crash...
Pa. Supreme Court forbids counties from counting mail-in ballots with date errors
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Monday that mail-in ballots in the Nov. 5 election that lacked handwritten dates or were improperly dated on their outer envelopes as required under state law cannot be counted. The ruling comes as several counties have been tallying those votes. In a four-page order, the...
New database tracks how tens of millions in opioid settlement dollars are being spent
HARRISBURG — A first-of-its-kind database from Spotlight PA will make it easier for the public to track how Pennsylvania counties decided to spend tens of millions of dollars from their first rounds of opioid settlement payments — and whether a powerful state oversight board ultimately approved those decisions. Pennsylvania expects...
4 formerly undecided Pennsylvanians explain how they voted
HARRISBURG — The 2024 presidential election is over. And after months at the center of the political universe, Pennsylvania voters have shown the nation how they feel politically: Most picked Donald Trump. Trump beat Kamala Harris in the commonwealth by a little less than 2 percentage points. It was a...
5 things to know about Pennsylvania’s Senate election recount
The Pennsylvania Senate race is headed to a recount. Republican businessman Dave McCormick led by about 24,000 votes over Democratic incumbent Bob Casey as of Thursday afternoon. McCormick has secured 48.9% to Casey’s 48.5%. The Associated Press and Decision Desk have called the race for McCormick. But because the race...
Museum finds remains from a victim of a notorious 1980s Philadelphia police bombing
PHILADELPHIA — Additional human remains from a 1985 police bombing on the headquarters of a Black liberation group in Philadelphia have been found at the University of Pennsylvania. The remains are believed to be those of 12-year-old Delisha Africa, one of five children and six adults killed when police bombed...
Prosecutor failed to show that Elon Musk’s $1M-a-day sweepstakes was an illegal lottery, judge says
PHILADELPHIA — The $1 million voter sweepstakes linked to billionaire Elon Musk was allowed to continue through Election Day because Philadelphia’s top prosecutor failed to show that it was an illegal lottery, a judge said in a new opinion. District Attorney Larry Krasner had filed suit last month to try...
Gov. Shapiro gives ‘wait and see’ response to Trump pledge to begin mass deportations
Gov, Josh Shapiro said Wednesday he will hold off until hearing President-elect Donald Trump’s plan on mass deportations before determining how he will respond. “Let’s wait and see,” Shapiro said after remarks at an economic development event at a machine construction company in Dillsburg. Shapiro’s comments come as post-Trump election...
Casey-McCormick race heads to automatic recount
Pennsylvania’s hard-fought U.S. Senate race is being extended potentially another two weeks. With the contest between Democratic incumbent Bob Casey and Republican businessman Dave McCormick within 0.5 percentage point, the race is legally required to go to automatic recount under Pennsylvania law, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced Wednesday....
Philadelphia mass transit users face fare hikes of more than 20% and possible service cuts
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia’s mass transit system has proposed an across-the-board 21.5% fare increase that would start New Year’s Day as well as severe service cuts that would take effect next summer. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority announced its plans on Tuesday and scheduled a Dec. 13 public hearing on them....
Human relations commission seeks additional feedback on harassment, bullying guidelines
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission is seeking feedback as it develops guidelines to address bullying and harassment in schools. The commission released an initial draft of proposed guidelines on Aug. 8. “In August we received more than 70 public comments on our harassment in education guidance,” said commission Executive Director...
GOP asks Pa. Supreme Court to reject mail-in ballots with handwritten date errors
The Republican Party is calling on the state Supreme Court to discount mail-in ballots that arrive on time but lack written dates. On Tuesday, the Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Pennsylvania filed a petition asking the court to reverse a decision last month by the state’s Commonwealth Court....
Pennsylvania lawmaker among those being considered for Trump Cabinet post
A Pennsylvania member of Congress may be in line for a Cabinet post in the new Trump administration. House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson is among the candidates under consideration as Trump’s agriculture secretary, according to a report in E&E News/Politico. Thompson has served in the House since 2009, most recently...
Schumer invites McCormick to Senate orientation
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has reversed course and invited Pennsylvania Republican Dave McCormick to the chamber’s orientation for new senators following an initial snub because of uncounted ballots in McCormick’s race. McCormick was declared the winner Friday by The Associated Press in an upset victory, but Democratic incumbent...
Hoarding disorder can drive families and communities apart. An Irwin nonprofit can help
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. Sign up for free here. Cindy’s home has so much stuff that she can’t use certain areas. Boxes form...
Black cheerleader at Cumberland Valley made to act like a ‘pet’ as white teammates took videos, lawsuit says
A competitive cheer team from a Pennsylvania high school was staying in a Florida hotel to compete in a national competition when a freshman cheerleader received a knock on her door. It was a teammate telling her to come to another room where other members had gathered during the February...
McCormick to go to Washington for Senate orientation over Schumer objections
Republican Dave McCormick said Monday he is off to Washington, D.C. for freshman orientation at the U.S. Senate, even as the chamber’s Democratic leaders are withholding an invitation while waiting for the remaining votes to be counted in Pennsylvania. The Associated Press Friday declared McCormick the winner in an upset...
How did Pa. Dems keep the state House during a red wave? Meet Frank Burns
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania House Democrats have clung to their one-vote majority despite a statewide wave of GOP wins that...
McCormick, appearing in Pittsburgh, declares victory over Casey
Republican David McCormick appeared Friday morning in Downtown Pittsburgh to declare victory in his tight U.S. Senate race against incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who has yet to concede. The Associated Press called the race Thursday in McCormick’s favor, and the Republican claimed there’s no path for Casey to...
Union puts potential Philadelphia mass transit strike on hold as talks continue
PHILADELPHIA — The union that represents thousands of Philadelphia mass transit system workers has agreed to delay a strike that could have started Friday, saying progress was being made in ongoing contract talks. Transport Workers Union Local 234 members had voted last week to authorize a strike once their one-year...
Trump rebuilds Democrats’ ‘blue wall’ states with red bricks. Especially Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Republicans landed historic victories in Pennsylvania this week, winning the battleground state’s valuable presidential electoral votes, posting a two-seat gain in its U.S. House delegation and sweeping all four statewide offices on the ballot, including a U.S. Senate seat. The strong performance means Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania...
Why AP called the Pennsylvania Senate race for David McCormick
WASHINGTON — Republican David McCormick cut Democratic Sen. Bob Casey’s leads in Philadelphia and its populous suburbs and built leads in the more GOP-leaning parts of the state, foreclosing the incumbent’s pathway to victory when The Associated Press called the race. McCormick was leading by more than 30,000 votes when...
Nearly 237K people moved to Pennsylvania in 2023. Which states are they coming from?
Pennsylvania is home to nearly 13 million people, but its population is still on the rise thanks to migrants from other states, new U.S. Census data shows. Overall, Pennsylvania gained an estimated 237,526 people from other states in 2023, year-over-year, according to recently published Census data. But where are the...
