Allegheny D.A. seeks death penalty in officer’s killing
March 19, 2023 GMTPITTSBURGH (AP) — Prosecutors say they plan to seek the death penalty if they win a first-degree murder conviction against a man charged in last month's shooting death of one police officer and the wounding of another in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
Regulators: Nuclear plant leak didn’t require public notice
March 18, 2023 GMTMinnesota regulators knew four months ago that radioactive waste had leaked from a nuclear power plant in Monticello — but they didn’t announce anything about the leak until this week.
Kenyatta enters 2024 race for Pennsylvania auditor general
March 9, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Democratic state lawmaker said Thursday he is running for Pennsylvania auditor general in next year's election, getting an early start on the campaign to lead the state's fiscal watchdog agency.
Senate OKs Shapiro picks for attorney general, police chief
March 9, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro's nominees for attorney general and state police commissioner won unanimous approval from Pennsylvania's Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday — a smooth landing for his top two public safety appointees.
Pennsylvania lawmaker quits amid sex harassment allegations
March 8, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker submitted his resignation letter Wednesday, a week after a union lobbyist accused him by name of having sexually harassed her four years ago.
Deadline Tuesday to run in Pennsylvania elections
March 7, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — It’s clear those vying for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court or a term as Philadelphia’s mayor will face contested races in the primaries as the last day for candidates to file concluded Tuesday.
What to Watch: Shapiro will pitch first budget as governor
March 4, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) —
Gov. Josh Shapiro will deliver his first budget to the Legislature on Tuesday, as the Democrat aims in his first months to remake the state's public school funding system and to put Pennsylvania on competitive footing with other states to attract major companies.
Pennsylvania lawmaker won’t quit amid sex misconduct claim
March 3, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania state representative accused of sexual harassment said Friday he is not resigning but has stepped down from the Judiciary Committee and plans to enter inpatient treatment of some kind.
Lobbyist names Pa. lawmaker she says sexually harassed her
March 2, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania lobbyist on Wednesday named the Democratic state representative who she says sexually harassed her four years ago, going public with his name hours after he and other lawmakers passed expanded workplace protections that were prompted in part by her story.
Anti-abortion allies change tactics after post-Roe defeats
March 1, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans and their anti-abortion allies, who suffered a series of defeats in ballot questions in states across the political spectrum last year, are changing tactics as new legislative sessions and the new election season start.
McClinton voted Pa. speaker; first Black woman to win post
February 28, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Philadelphia state Rep. Joanna McClinton on Tuesday became the first woman to serve as speaker of the Pennsylvania House, ascending to the chamber's top position on the strength of a fresh one-vote Democratic majority.
GOP leaders, stung by losses, plan to wade into Senate races
February 27, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A football legend who held a gun to his ex-wife’s head. Rivals who nearly brawled during a televised debate. A venture capitalist who voiced sympathy for the Unabomber.
Pennsylvania governor blocks death penalty, calls for repeal
February 16, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday he will not allow Pennsylvania to execute any inmates while he is in office and called for the state's lawmakers to repeal the death penalty.
Split Pennsylvania House set for raucous return next week
February 15, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's top House Republican on Wednesday warned of chaos when legislators reconvene next week, six weeks after representatives elected a Democrat as House speaker and left Harrisburg without conducting any other business.
Ohio derailment aftermath: How worried should people be?
February 15, 2023 GMTPlumes of smoke, questions about dead animals, worries about the drinking water. A train derailment in Ohio and subsequent burning of some of the hazardous chemicals has people asking: How worried should they be?
Workers get support for Atlantic City casino smoking ban
February 13, 2023 GMTTRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Atlantic City casino dealers pushing for a smoking ban received support from several state lawmakers Monday at a long-awaited hearing on a bill that would end smoking inside the nine casinos.
Court won’t force Pennsylvania to release election records
February 10, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania appellate court said Thursday that it will not order Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration to produce records on voters and election systems sought by Republican lawmakers in a quest inspired by former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Win in court doesn’t assure more Pennsylvania school funding
February 9, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is the latest state where the public school funding system was found to be unconstitutional, but the experience in other states suggests there's no guarantee of swift, significant or longstanding change for the poorer school districts that sued in hopes of getting billions of dollars more for their budgets.
Democrats won Pennsylvania House, but bipartisan gap remains
February 8, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Voters who kept three Pittsburgh-area state House seats in Democratic hands this week effectively also flipped control away from the Republican majority that has run the chamber for more than a decade, one of a handful of legislative bodies across the United States where partisan control shifted in recent months.
Poorer districts win challenge to Pa. public school funding
February 8, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge ruled Tuesday that the state's system of funding public schools falls woefully short and violates students’ constitutional rights, siding with poorer districts in a lawsuit launched nearly a decade ago in pursuit of billions of dollars in additional annual aid.
Republicans endorse Carluccio for seat on state’s high court
February 4, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Republican Party officials voted Saturday to endorse a Montgomery County judge, Carolyn Carluccio, to be the party’s nominee in this year’s election for an open state Supreme Court seat.
Democrats endorse McCaffery for seat on state’s high court
January 31, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's Democratic Party has voted to endorse an appellate court judge from Philadelphia, Daniel McCaffery, to be the party's nominee for an open state Supreme Court seat in this year's election.
Lawmakers appeal ruling on legality of impeaching Philly DA
January 26, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmakers on Thursday filed an appeal with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, hoping to preserve elements of their impeachment case against an elected progressive Philadelphia prosecutor.
Pennsylvania passes ‘forever chemicals’ drinking water limit
January 25, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania has enacted a statewide drinking water limit on two forms of highly toxic chemicals, nicknamed “forever chemicals.”
The rule, published earlier this month in the official register of state government agency actions, sets a limit of 14 parts per trillion for perfluorooctanoic acid and 18 parts per trillion for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid.
Refusal to release inaugural donors exposes gap in Pa. law
January 23, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The refusal thus far of Gov. Josh Shapiro to disclose who paid for his glitzy inaugural bash has exposed the gap in state law that lets governors in Pennsylvania escape the kind of transparency that is sometimes required elsewhere.
Event to mark Todd’s rise as first female Pa. chief justice
January 20, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania state Supreme Court Justice Debra Todd will be formally installed as chief justice in a ceremony set for Friday afternoon in a downtown Pittsburgh hotel.
The daughter of a steelworker who grew up in Ellwood City, Todd has been serving for months as the first woman to be the court’s top-ranking jurist.
Shapiro takes oath of office as Pennsylvania’s new governor
January 18, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrat Josh Shapiro took the oath of office Tuesday to become the 48th governor of Pennsylvania, placing his hand on a stack of three Jewish Bibles at an inaugural ceremony outside the state Capitol to cap his blowout win in November’s election.
High court takes 8 new cases, 1 about a religious mailman
January 13, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider what employers must do to accommodate religious employees, among eight new cases it added.
Shapiro mines agency experience for public safety nominees
January 13, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's public safety agencies will be led by long-serving state employees who have risen through the ranks, incoming Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Friday as he fills out his Cabinet before being sworn in.
Shapiro taps ex-lawmakers, university officials for Cabinet
January 12, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Two just-retired state lawmakers will help fill out the Cabinet of the incoming Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, who also said Thursday that he will pluck a pair of nominees from the University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University who each held senior federal government posts.
Arkoosh to lead Shapiro’s sprawling human services agency
January 11, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Dr. Val Arkoosh, an anesthesiologist who led Pennsylvania’s third-most populous county through the pandemic before mounting a failed run for U.S. Senate, will be nominated to lead the sprawling Department of Human Services under the incoming Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro.
Constitutional amendments pose test to incoming Pa. governor
January 11, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans who control Pennsylvania's Senate on Wednesday kicked off the new legislative session by pushing through a trio of proposed constitutional amendments that sparked a partisan fight and poses a challenge to the incoming Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro.
Senate delays Philly DA’s impeachment trial amid court case
January 11, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's state Senate voted Wednesday to postpone a trial seeking to remove Philadelphia’s progressive district attorney on the heels of a court ruling that said the impeachment articles don't meet the constitutionally required standard.
Shapiro taps superintendent to be education secretary
January 9, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A school superintendent who won Pennsylvania superintendent of the year and has experience in both the wealthiest and poorest districts will be Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro's nominee for secretary of education, the Democrat said Monday.
State lawmakers turn to creative solutions in speaker fights
January 8, 2023 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — As Republican infighting debilitates Washington, lawmakers at some U.S. statehouses have managed to launch sessions complicated by similar GOP partisan divides or razor-thin margins of party control with a host of creative — if yet untested — solutions.
New Pa. speaker puts sexual abuse lawsuit window atop agenda
January 6, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's new state House speaker declared Friday that no other legislation will be taken up by his chamber until it approves a constitutional amendment granting child sexual abuse victims the power to file what would otherwise be outdated claims.
Police: 5 guns recovered after police chief killed, 2 hurt
January 3, 2023 GMTBRACKENRIDGE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say five guns were recovered from a man shot and killed by police after a chase and gunfire that killed a western Pennsylvania police chief and wounded two other officers.
Ward begins brief lieutenant governor term as Fetterman goes
January 3, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Kim Ward, Pennsylvania's ranking state senator, ascended to the job of state lieutenant governor on Tuesday after Democrat John Fetterman resigned minutes before he was sworn in to office as the state's newest U.S.
Pennsylvania officer killed, 2nd wounded; suspect shot dead
January 3, 2023 GMTBRACKENRIDGE, Pa. (AP) — The man suspected of fatally shooting a Pennsylvania police chief and wounding another officer in confrontations during a foot pursuit near Pittsburgh was killed by police after a chase, authorities said.
Court weighs halting Philadelphia prosecutor’s impeachment
December 29, 2022 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania court is weighing whether to step in and stop the Legislature’s impeachment proceedings against Philadelphia’s district attorney, in a case that is part of a wave of efforts across the country to remove progressive prosecutors as violent crime rose nationally.
Wolf ends term with strong ratings after tumultuous times
December 29, 2022 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf will wrap up eight years in office next month, having steered Pennsylvania through unpredictable times when the Democrat made life-and-death decisions in the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic and managed the battleground state's presidential election amid unprecedented Republican efforts to overturn it.
Pennsylvania certifies election results after recount delay
December 27, 2022 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's top elections official fully certified results from the November vote late last week after recount petitions in some counties had delayed the process, the Department of State said Tuesday.
Pennsylvania lifts ban on gas production in polluted village
December 12, 2022 GMTOne of Pennsylvania's largest drillers will be allowed to extract natural gas from underneath a rural community where it has been banned for a dozen years because of accusations it polluted the water supply, according to a settlement with state regulators.
CVS, Walgreens finalize $10B in settlements over opioids
December 12, 2022 GMTCVS and Walgreens have agreed to pay state and local governments a combined total of more than $10 billion to settle lawsuits over the toll of opioids and now want to know by Dec. 31 whether states are accepting the deals.
Young voters’ enthusiasm for Democrats waned during midterms
December 12, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Young voters who have been critical to Democratic successes in recent elections showed signs in November’s midterms that their enthusiasm may be waning, a potential warning sign for a party that will need their strong backing heading into the 2024 presidential race.
Young voters’ enthusiasm for Democrats waned during midterms
December 12, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Young voters who have been critical to Democratic successes in recent elections showed signs in November's midterms that their enthusiasm may be waning, a potential warning sign for a party that will need their strong backing heading into the 2024 presidential race.
GOP sues over special elections in Pa. House majority battle
December 10, 2022 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The top-ranking Republican in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives asked a court late Friday to prevent voters from filling three vacant seats in February that will determine majority control of the chamber.
Pennsylvania panel updates anti-discrimination regulations
December 8, 2022 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A state panel on Thursday narrowly approved new definitions of sex, religious creed and race in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination regulations, with three members appointed by Democrats in favor and two Republican appointees voting no.
Governor sues to force carbon-pricing plan to take effect
February 4, 2022 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration went to court Thursday to force through its regulation imposing a price on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants, the centerpiece of the Democrat’s plan to fight climate change that is stuck in a dispute with the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Pennsylvania government watchdog to probe teen’s murder
April 17, 2019 GMTA Pennsylvania state government watchdog agency has launched an investigation into the horrific case of a 14-year-old girl who had extensive contact with the child welfare system before her 2016 rape, torture and murder, a lawmaker who requested the review announced Wednesday.