Pennsylvania category, Page 43
A bill to legalize syringe services in Pa. just passed a historic hurdle, but GOP opposition remains
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. HARRISBURG — In what advocates are calling a historic move, a bill that would legalize syringe services throughout Pennsylvania is making progress in the legislature....
GOP Senate contenders aren’t shy about wanting Trump’s approval. But in Pennsylvania, it’s awkward
HARRISBURG — Since he became the single biggest force in Republican politics nearly a decade ago, Donald Trump has figured prominently in U.S. Senate races, using his massive public platform and loyal base of support to shape which GOP incumbents run for reelection and which contenders get nominated. This year,...
Defense: Suspended judge didn’t shoot estranged boyfriend, is innocent of attempted murder, assault
HARRISBURG — The attorney representing a suspended magistrate judge in Pennsylvania says his client is not guilty of allegations that she shot her estranged boyfriend in the head as he slept earlier this month. Magisterial District Judge Sonya McKnight, 57, was charged last week in Dauphin County with attempted murder...
What Shapiro’s budget pitch could do for Pa.’s rural communities
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. BELLEFONTE — As the populations of Pennsylvania’s rural counties shrink, officials hope future state spending can help slow projected losses by making investments that attract...
FAFSA delays prompt Pa. state-owned universities to extend enrollment deadlines
Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities are extending the deadline for thousands of prospective new students to review financial aid offers and decide whether to enroll for fall. The move is intended to mitigate delays being experienced nationwide with the U.S. Department of Education’s revamped Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known...
Penn State dance marathon raises $17 million, beats record by $2 million
Their voices are likely shot, their ankles probably sore and they definitely could use some sleep. But the 700-plus dancers — and thousands more who participated in this year’s Penn State University IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon — know they made history, raising almost $17 million in the fight against childhood cancer,...
Student-run dance marathon raises $16.9 million in pediatric cancer funds
STATE COLLEGE — Hundreds of Penn State students have raised more than $16.9 million for pediatric cancer patients in the annual 46-hour dance marathon known as Thon. The $16,955,683.63 total was announced Sunday afternoon at the conclusion of the Penn State Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, billed as the world’s largest...
Penn State president could get $1.5 million bonus if she stays through June 2032
Penn State University trustees on Friday showed they want to retain President Neeli Bendapudi long term by approving incentives including a $1.5 million bonus if she stays in office through June 30, 2032. The vote to amend her compensation package came as the state’s flagship public university confronts what some...
Pa. high court to weigh if life without parole for felony murder is constitutional
The state Supreme Court on Friday said it will take up a Pittsburgh case challenging the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for second-degree, or felony, murder. It is the first time Pennsylvania’s highest court will consider the issue — looking at it through the...
Pennsylvania high court takes up challenge to the state’s life-without-parole sentences
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court will consider if some automatic life sentences for those convicted of murder violate constitutional protections for defendants, the justices said Friday. The appeal being pursued by Derek Lee, convicted of a 2014 killing, argues the state’s life-without-parole law violates prohibitions in the Pennsylvania and U.S....
Pennsylvania courts say no ransom was paid in cyberattack, and attackers never sent a demand
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state courts agency said Thursday that it never received a ransom demand as part of a cyberattack that briefly shut down some of its online services earlier this month and prompted a federal investigation. The attack, called a “denial of services” attack, on the website of the...
Pennsylvania man charged with beheading father carried photos of federal buildings, bomb plans, DA says
The suburban Philadelphia man charged with decapitating his father and posting a video online in which he held up the severed head had a device with photos of federal buildings and apparent instructions for making explosives when he was arrested, authorities said Thursday. Justin Mohn, 32, faces a dozen new...
Ready to dance without pause for 46 hours? Here’s your guide to Penn State’s Thon 2024
Perhaps the biggest event of Penn State’s spring semester is just around the corner, but it’s not too late to learn how to follow along, get involved or lend a hand. Penn State’s IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, better known simply as “Thon,” will get underway at 6 p.m. Friday before concluding...
Group of Penn State trustees pushes to name football field after Joe Paterno in private meetings
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. STATE COLLEGE — Penn State trustees and high-ranking university representatives met privately twice in January to discuss whether to name the football field at Beaver...
Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania appears to have a chance
Sunday hunting could finally happen in Pennsylvania — more than just three days a year. Members of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, an association of the state’s farmers and powerful state lobbying group that has opposed Sunday hunting for years, said they would step aside as long as several key pieces...
Democrats retain majority in Pa. House with a 102-100 partisan divide
HARRISBURG — Democrats retained their slim majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday after voters elected a former school board member to represent them in a Philadelphia suburb that has been trending more to the left. Jim Prokopiak’s election to the Bucks County seat will give Democrats a...
Police: Penn State professor on video partially nude crawling around park, masturbating
A longtime and award-winning Penn State professor was charged Monday after dozens of videos showed him performing sexual acts in Rothrock State Forest, the same place he was caught on camera last year enticing a dog to lick his anus. Themis Matsoukas, 64, of Patton Township, was accused of recording...
PLCB opens lotteries to purchase nearly 1,900 bottles of rare whiskeys
Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board, through its limited-release lottery, is awarding those who register the opportunity to buy 1,896 bottles of rare whiskeys. The LCB on Monday announced that state residents and licensees have until 5 p.m. Friday to opt in to the lotteries or drawings for whiskeys from the Pappy...
FAFSA angst sweeps across Western Pa. for prospective college students
Many prospective college students and their parents are feeling angst over delays associated with the federal financial aid application, known as FAFSA, that millions rely on. An update to the application system last year has resulted in delays this year. As a result, it could be mid-March before colleges receive...
Pitt trustees discuss ways to raise national profile
University of Pittsburgh trustees Thursday heard an update on the university’s five-year strategic initiative dubbed “Plan for Pitt” and elected a new board chairman. Their meeting was punctuated by a noisy but peaceful pro-Palestinan protest outside the Assembly Room in the William Pitt Union. The demonstrators numbering a few dozen...
Criminal background checks waived for some student employees at Pa. state universities
Some student employees who work jobs at the 10 state universities would be exempted from the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education’s criminal background check policy. The system’s governing board on Thursday approved the policy change that carves out student employees who have no direct contact and/or routine contact with...
6 members of Philadelphia area family feared dead in house fire and shooting, prosecutor says
EAST LANSDOWNE — Six members of a family — including three children — are feared dead, an official said Thursday, from a fire at a house in suburban Philadelphia that went up in flames as two police officers who responded to the scene were shot and injured. Delaware County District...
Shapiro’s college plan could be ‘transformational,’ Pa. higher education board chair says
Minutes into Thursday’s State System of Higher Education board meeting, chair Cynthia Shapira summed up in her own view the enormous stakes for public higher education in Pennsylvania: “If we do this right, the new system represents an opportunity to be transformational.” She was referring to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal...
Legalizing marijuana could generate $255M in revenue for Pa., Gov. Shapiro says
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is hoping to capitalize on what he predicts would generate more than a quarter-billion dollars in revenue if the state legalizes adult-use marijuana. During his budget address Tuesday, he pointed to neighboring states Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland that have legalized recreational use...
2 officers wounded by gunfire at a suburban Philadelphia home that is then gutted by fire
EAST LANSDOWNE — Two police officers were wounded Wednesday by gunfire at a suburban Philadelphia home that was later set on fire and consumed by the blaze, possibly with multiple people inside, authorities said. Officers from East Lansdowne, Lansdowne and Upper Darby responded to the house in East Lansdowne in...
