RSSCategory: State News

Secrecy Still Pervades Pennsylvania State Government, but Spotlight Pa Is Fighting Back

Secrecy Still Pervades Pennsylvania State Government, but Spotlight Pa Is Fighting Back

| March 12, 2024

Politicians in Harrisburg come and go, and political majorities shift over time. But one enduring constant no matter who’s in power is a reflexive inclination to shield information from the very people who pay the bills — we, the taxpayers.

Continue Reading

Pennsylvania Treasurer Candidates Spar Over Unclaimed Property Issue

Pennsylvania Treasurer Candidates Spar Over Unclaimed Property Issue

| March 11, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. — An obscure policy issue is getting new attention in this year’s race for Pennsylvania treasurer as Democratic state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro of Erie seeks to draw a contrast with Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity.

Continue Reading

Clarion’s Pine Clinches NCAA Bid, Highlights Second Day at MAC Championships

Clarion’s Pine Clinches NCAA Bid, Highlights Second Day at MAC Championships

| March 11, 2024

KENT, Oh. — Cam Pine punched his ticket to the NCAA Division I Championships in Kansas City and John Worthing came up just one win short of matching him, as the Golden Eagle wrestling team finished their two-day stay at the 2024 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships at the M.A.C. Center.

Continue Reading

Elections 101: What to Know About Electronic Pollbooks, Which Pa. Counties Use Them, and More

Elections 101: What to Know About Electronic Pollbooks, Which Pa. Counties Use Them, and More

| March 9, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. — As Pennsylvania prepares for the 2024 presidential election, voters may start hearing about a new piece of technology rolling out in more and more counties: electronic pollbooks.

Continue Reading

What to Know About Shapiro’s Proposed $10.3M Agriculture Innovation Program

What to Know About Shapiro’s Proposed $10.3M Agriculture Innovation Program

| March 8, 2024

BELLEFONTE, Pa. — An open-ended pitch by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro to give millions of dollars to Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry to make it more innovative is stoking skepticism and hope among lawmakers and farmers.

Continue Reading

Great Pa News Quiz: Gov’t Land Grabs, Trump Ruling, Derailed Trains, and Election Games

Great Pa News Quiz: Gov’t Land Grabs, Trump Ruling, Derailed Trains, and Election Games

| March 8, 2024

In this week’s quiz:

Continue Reading

Pa. Game Commission Won’t Renew Controversial Contract With Lobbying Firm Run by Former Top Lawmaker

Pa. Game Commission Won’t Renew Controversial Contract With Lobbying Firm Run by Former Top Lawmaker

| March 8, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Facing scrutiny from state lawmakers, the Pennsylvania Game Commission said it will not renew a controversial contract it signed late last year with a politically connected lobbying firm.

Continue Reading

Oversight Board Will Secretly Review How Pa. Counties Spent Millions of Dollars to Fight Opioid Crisis

Oversight Board Will Secretly Review How Pa. Counties Spent Millions of Dollars to Fight Opioid Crisis

| March 6, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Counties will soon have to report how they spent millions of dollars they received from the first rounds of opioid settlement payments in Pennsylvania. But members of a trust that oversees county spending are preparing to first review the information in secret, despite a court order requiring the trust to follow the […]

Continue Reading

PennDOT, PA Turnpike Announce the Start of Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Program

PennDOT, PA Turnpike Announce the Start of Work Zone Speed Safety Camera Program

| March 6, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), started enforcement of the statewide Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program on Tuesday, March 5.

Continue Reading

Clarion Grappler Notches Top Seed as MAC Announces Pre-Seeds for 2024 Wrestling Championships

Clarion Grappler Notches Top Seed as MAC Announces Pre-Seeds for 2024 Wrestling Championships

| March 6, 2024

CLEVELAND, Oh. — The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced the pre-seeds for the upcoming (March 8-9) 2024 MAC Wrestling Championships on Tuesday.

Continue Reading

New Details Released in 23-Year-Old Amish Mom’s Murder Investigation

New Details Released in 23-Year-Old Amish Mom’s Murder Investigation

| March 5, 2024

SPARTA TWP., Pa. (EYT)  – The Pennsylvania State Police have released more information about the case of 23-year-old murder victim, Rebekah Byler.

Continue Reading

More Details Revealed in Rebekah Byler Murder Case

More Details Revealed in Rebekah Byler Murder Case

| March 5, 2024

SPARTA TOWNSHIP, CRAWFORD CO., Pa. (EYT) — New details about the cause of 23-year-old Amish mother Rebekah Byler’s death have been revealed in newly released court documents.

Continue Reading

AAA: Gas Prices Rising in Pennsylvania

AAA: Gas Prices Rising in Pennsylvania

| March 5, 2024

VENANGO COUNTY, Pa. — Gas prices are two cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.655 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

Continue Reading

Pa. Pays Property Owners for Land Lost to Eminent Domain, but Farmers Want More for Their Loss

Pa. Pays Property Owners for Land Lost to Eminent Domain, but Farmers Want More for Their Loss

| March 5, 2024

BELLEFONTE, Pa. — A massive highway project in Centre County that will likely result in some farmers losing their properties has prompted calls to update how agricultural land is valued in Pennsylvania’s eminent domain process.

Continue Reading

Area Students Participate in 2024 ‘Poetry Out Loud’ State Competition

Area Students Participate in 2024 ‘Poetry Out Loud’ State Competition

| March 5, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. – On Monday, March 4, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) announced that Sulette Lange, a junior at Hazleton Area Arts and Humanities Academy in Luzerne County, is Pennsylvania’s 2024 Poetry Out Loud (POL) state champion.

Continue Reading

Pa. Was Deluged by Election Lawsuits in 2020. Experts Say 2024 Will Be Even More Intense.

Pa. Was Deluged by Election Lawsuits in 2020. Experts Say 2024 Will Be Even More Intense.

| March 4, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Earlier this year, a group of Republican state lawmakers filed suit in federal court to throw out executive actions aimed at expanding voter registration, claiming the legislature’s constitutional right to determine how presidential elections are run in Pennsylvania had been violated.

Continue Reading

How to Judge the Effectiveness of Your Local Government in Pennsylvania

How to Judge the Effectiveness of Your Local Government in Pennsylvania

| March 1, 2024

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — What do your nearest park’s playground equipment, your neighborhood’s trash pickup frequency, and your closest library’s services all have in common?

Continue Reading

Shapiro Launches Pennsylvania Election Threats Task Force to Ensure Safe, Secure, Free, & Fair Election This November

Shapiro Launches Pennsylvania Election Threats Task Force to Ensure Safe, Secure, Free, & Fair Election This November

| March 1, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. – As part of his commitment to ensure safe and secure elections in Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro has established the Pennsylvania Election Threats Task Force.

Continue Reading

Great Pa News Quiz: Vetting 2024’s Voting Machines, Harrisburg Haggling, and the Beyoncé Effect

Great Pa News Quiz: Vetting 2024’s Voting Machines, Harrisburg Haggling, and the Beyoncé Effect

| March 1, 2024

In this week’s quiz: State House control, behind the voting machines, costly cleanups, and the Beyoncé effect.

Continue Reading

American Pickers Searching for Hidden Treasure Ahead of Filming Trip to Pennsylvania

American Pickers Searching for Hidden Treasure Ahead of Filming Trip to Pennsylvania

| March 1, 2024

VENANGO COUNTY, Pa. – The American Pickers are returning to Pennsylvania, as they plan to film episodes of the hit television series throughout the area in April 2024.

Continue Reading

Five Takeaways From Our Event on the Whole-Home Repairs Program

Five Takeaways From Our Event on the Whole-Home Repairs Program

| February 29, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A new Pennsylvania program to help homeowners with the cost of repairs launched last year with $125 million in federal pandemic aid. It’s one of the largest state investments of its kind in years.

Continue Reading

Shapiro Administration Highlights Statewide Budget Investments in Public Safety

Shapiro Administration Highlights Statewide Budget Investments in Public Safety

| February 29, 2024

The Shapiro Administration on Wednesday discussed the 2024-25 budget proposal to increase the Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Grant Program to $60 million.

Continue Reading

Pa. Election 2024: the State House Races to Watch as Democrats Try to Keep the Majority

Pa. Election 2024: the State House Races to Watch as Democrats Try to Keep the Majority

| February 28, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. — When voters go to the polls this November, control of the Pennsylvania House could rest on the outcome of a single race.

Continue Reading

Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Returns Licensing Fees to Venango & Forest County Businesses

Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Returns Licensing Fees to Venango & Forest County Businesses

| February 28, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) on Tuesday announced the return of more than $2.0 million in licensing fees to 1,140 municipalities in which licensees are located.

Continue Reading

Elections 101: Everything You Need to Know About Pennsylvania’s Voting Machines, How the State Keeps Them Safe, and More

Elections 101: Everything You Need to Know About Pennsylvania’s Voting Machines, How the State Keeps Them Safe, and More

| February 27, 2024

During what is likely to be another contentious presidential election in Pennsylvania, you may hear contradictory, confusing, or downright false claims about voting machines.

Continue Reading

AAA: Gas Prices Dip in Pennsylvania

AAA: Gas Prices Dip in Pennsylvania

| February 27, 2024

VENANGO COUNTY, Pa. — Gas prices are two cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.634 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.

Continue Reading

Robert Heiar and Myah Coleman Appointed to Acting Positions in Forest Service Leadership

Robert Heiar and Myah Coleman Appointed to Acting Positions in Forest Service Leadership

| February 27, 2024

WARREN, Pa. — The USDA Forest Service announced the appointment of Robert Heiar as the acting Forest Supervisor and Myah Coleman as the acting Deputy Forest Supervisor for the Allegheny National Forest.

Continue Reading

Black Pa. Country Musicians Celebrate the Beyoncé Effect, Invite New Listeners to Stick Around

Black Pa. Country Musicians Celebrate the Beyoncé Effect, Invite New Listeners to Stick Around

| February 26, 2024

As Beyoncé’s rootsy new country singles “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” usher in a new era for the superstar, other Black artists in the genre are seeing new interest in their music and discussing familiar patterns of exclusion.

Continue Reading

Great PA News Quiz: Penn State Pushback, Election Exodus, and Shapiro’s ‘Sin Tax’

Great PA News Quiz: Penn State Pushback, Election Exodus, and Shapiro’s ‘Sin Tax’

| February 23, 2024

In this week’s quiz: A controversial Penn State proposal, Shapiro’s “sin tax” spending, mail ballot dates, and surprising snow.

Continue Reading

State Police Launch Ad Campaign to Attract More Recruits

State Police Launch Ad Campaign to Attract More Recruits

| February 23, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) on Friday announced the launch of an advertising campaign focused on attracting more people to a career as a state trooper.

Continue Reading