Tag Archives: pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: Gov. Tom Wolf and Pennsylvania Department of Health this evening urged non-essential businesses to temporarily cease operations in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The state explicitly told bars, liquor stores and restaurants to curtail business until further notice. It also said restaurants should stay open only for carry-out …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports: A retired federal administrative law judge from Mercer County pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of buying an assault rifle for his boyfriend, a North Side felon described by the FBI as obsessed with Nazis and mass shootings. Karl Alexander, 78, who splits his time between Pittsburgh and Grove City, admitted to lying on a federal …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: The Diocese of Harrisburg filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, becoming the first of Pennsylvania’s eight Roman Catholic dioceses to seek protection from financial claims in the aftermath of a scathing 2018 grand jury report that revealed decades of sexual abuse and cover-up by the church’s top leaders. In its petition with the bankruptcy court, the diocese reported …

The Weather Channel reports: Punxsutawney Phil was pulled from his burrow in Gobbler’s Knob Sunday morning and did not see see his shadow, which, according to legend, means an early spring and warmer temperatures are coming. Of course, even the organizers of the annual Groundhog Day event in western Pennsylvania acknowledge that turning to a large rodent for weather forecasting …

Philadelphia’s CBS affiliate reports: A Luzerne County woman drove into the path of an oncoming vehicle as a way to test her faith, then exhibited no concern about the people who were injured in the crash, state police said. Bail was revoked this week for Nadejda Reilly, 31, of Drums, who is charged with aggravated assault and other offenses over …

The Associated Press reports: Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses have paid nearly $84 million to 564 victims of sexual abuse, a tally that’s sure to grow substantially in the new year as compensation fund administrators work through a backlog of claims, according to an Associated Press review. To date, the average payout across all seven dioceses has exceeded $148,000 — a …

The Washington Post reports: In 2016, when more than 6 million Pennsylvanians voted in the presidential election, the state’s 20 pivotal electoral votes were decided by a margin of less than 45,000 voters. Pennsylvania is home to more than 75,000 Amish people, and most who are eligible don’t vote. For two Republican operatives, those two numbers together add up to …

Axios reports: Climate activists are rallying in the streets here and around the world today calling for urgent action curbing carbon emissions, while a controversial but carbon-free nuclear power plant 180 miles away quietly goes offline. The big picture: It’s an ironic moment in history. Nuclear power provides America — and the world — with one of the largest sources …

Pittsburgh’s CBS News affiliate reports: Senate officials say a Pennsylvania state lawmaker who is facing child pornography possession charges has resigned. Sen. Mike Folmer’s apparent resignation Wednesday came hours after he was arrested by the state attorney general’s office. Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman said in statement that they received Folmer’s resignation letter …

The Washington Post reports: Republican state Sen. Mike Folmer was charged with possession of child pornography on Tuesday night after authorities said they discovered images of child pornography on his cellphone. The charges against Folmer include sexual abuse of children, possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility. The married grandfather of seven was caught as the …

CBS Philadelphia reports: At least five Philadelphia police officers were shot in Philadelphia’s Nicetown-Tioga section and rushed to the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. The officers were taken to Temple University Hospital, where dozens of officers have surrounded the hospital. Mayor Jim Kenney and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross are heading to Temple University Hospital. Police say the shooting happened on …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports: Fayette County Republicans took down a fair booth dartboard with taped-on pictures of first-term Democratic congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley, after a fair attendee posted about the dartboard on Facebook, sparking complaints to the booth organizers and the fair. “I rarely post anything political on Facebook, however, after seeing this, I …

Penn Live reports: Pennsylvania’s state Senate erupted this week over a bill that ended funding for the some of the poorest residents, leading a Republican lawmaker to shout over his Democratic colleague for nearly three minutes. Republicans have pushed to end the decades-old General Assistance program but Democrats on Wednesday introduced amendments to save the monthly funding for certain populations, …

Penn Live reports: A Chambersburg-area pastor was jailed last week, accused of possessing sexually explicit images of bondage scenarios involving children that also had his face superimposed into them. The Office of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force did the investigation into Stephen L. Dunn, 68, and filed charges on Thursday, according to court documents. During a …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: A Philadelphia sheriff’s deputy who was a leader in the city’s gay community, and who a state legislator said “lifted up every room he ever stepped foot in,” was found dead at his desk in his Center City office Friday morning. Deputy Sheriff Dante Austin, 27, was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the office …

Roll Call reports: Republican state Rep. Fred Keller easily defeated Democrat Marc Friedenberg in a special election Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s 12th District. With 48 percent of precincts reporting, Keller led the Penn State professor, 72 percent to 28 percent. The result was not unexpected given that President Donald Trump would have carried the deep-red seat by 36 points in 2016 …

Pennsylvania’s SETPA mass transit system has begun a pilot program in which commuters must watch a video ad before loading their fare card at train station kiosks. Philadelphia Magazine weighs in: On the one hand, SEPTA’s facing a potentially catastrophic risk to its budget, on account of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, one of its biggest funders, being billions of dollars in …

PBS NewsHour reports: By picking Pennsylvania for his first campaign speech of the presidential race, Joe Biden is signaling he hopes to own what may be the 2020 election’s toughest battleground. Planting a flag in Pennsylvania makes sense for the longtime former senator from Delaware: He was born in Pennsylvania, has numerous ties to it and is using his deep …

Penn Live reports: Few central Pennsylvania destinations are as iconic as the Star Barn. The historic structure – part of Stone Gables Estate – sits on a sprawling 275-acre scenic tract in Elizabethtown, surrounded by farmland, an orchard and vineyard. It has become a premier wedding destination. Now, just in time for wedding season, the landmark venue is at the …

The Associated Press reports: A freshman Republican’s opening prayer Monday in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives drew complaints that it was inappropriately divisive. Rep. Stephanie Borowicz began the day’s session with a Christian invocation that thanked Jesus for the honor and President Donald Trump for standing “behind Israel unequivocally.” “At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every …