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Thousands of Pa. prisoners endure summer heat without air conditioning
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, Pa. — As extreme heat stifles Pennsylvania for a fourth week, thousands of people incarcerated in state prisons have little opportunity for relief because more than a third of the facilities lack universal air conditioning. Of the 24...
Gov. Shapiro signs bill to end ‘frivolous lawsuits’ in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — On Thursday, Governor Shapiro signed a bill to end ‘frivolous lawsuits’ and preserve freedom of speech, according to state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro. Act 72 of 2024, will ensure Pennsylvania joins 30 states that have passed similar laws. Bizzarro’s bill, H.B. 1466, is an anti-SLAPP measure that will curtail Strategic Lawsuits Against […]
NCLGS: Backers of smoke-free casinos see progress in Pennsylvania, other fronts
Fighting to make more casinos smoke free is like chipping away at a boulder, Bronson Frick says. Small cracks here and there eventually yield success. Advocates of a proposal to ban smoking from Pennsylvania’s gaming floors, one of the state’s last public areas or workplaces where it’s allowed, hope they made a chip with a small rally Thursday outside Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, site of the Summer Meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS).
Texas company purchases Highway Materials
Texas-based Heidelberg Materials North America recently announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase Philadelphia-based Highway Materials, an aggregates and asphalt producer. “The addition of the Highway Materials business, with its broad range of products and more than 80 years of history in Pennsylvania, is a great opportunity to strengthen the company’s aggregate reserves […] The post Texas company purchases Highway Materials appeared first on Pennsylvania Business Report.
Big Lots With NJ & PA Locations Closing Stores & May Go Bankrupt
Bad news for another major retail chain. It may be going under. The New York Post is reporting that Big Lots is in financial trouble. News like this is becoming all too common these days with other chains like Walgreens and Red Lobster struggling as well. If you're not familiar...
Pennsylvania Governor signs bill allowing sale of canned cocktails in grocery stores
(WHTM) — Getting your favorite mixed drinks is now easier than ever after Governor Josh Shapiro signed legislature allowing more stores to get a special ready-to-drink cocktail permit. Senate Bill 688 allows locations in Pennsylvania that are already licensed to sell alcohol, like bars and select grocery stores, to apply for a ready-to-drink cocktail permit. […]
Trails and tourism: How outdoor recreation can bring a boom to Pa. river towns
Williamsport, Pa. — The outdoors and recreation industry generates more toward Pennsylvania's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than oil, gas, steel, and coal combined. You heard that right. According to presenters at a "Trails and Tourism" presentation at the James V. Brown Library on July 15, outdoor recreation is booming in Pa., and the economic possibilities are vast for river towns like Lock Haven, Jersey Shore, and Williamsport. ...
Pennsylvania budget gives funding for professional caregivers
(WHTM) — Professional caregivers in Pennsylvania are among the winners in the new state budget. Governor Josh Shapiro held a ceremonial bill signing, highlighting new funding to help those with intellectual disabilities and autism. The budget allocates $354 million to supplement the pay of the professionals who care for them. “How we’ll see it at […]
Shapiro hosts disabled Pennsylvanians to celebrate funding boost with brunch and bocce
Disabled athletes and their advocates came to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg on Thursday to celebrate a boost in funding for support services with a brunch and a few rounds of the Italian ball game, bocce. Gov. Josh Shapiro, who hosted the event with Special Olympics Pennsylvania, also held...
Weakened version of health care non-compete limitations becomes law
(The Center Square) — Among a flurry of bills signed into law recently, Pennsylvania has taken a step in reducing the barriers created by non-compete agreements in health care. But the law in effect is a watered-down version of what was proposed in the General Assembly. “It’s a C+,” said Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Pittsburgh, who introduced House Bill 1633. “There’s a significant amendment that diluted the impact of the bill. But it clearly remains a step forward with more work to do.” ...
11 Investigates Exclusive Pa. Lt. Gov. weighing in on Trump rally security failures
Channel 11 Chief Investigator Rick Earle spoke with Lt. Governor Austin Davis on Thursday about the security lapses that led to the fatal shooting at the Trump campaign rally in Butler and the attempted assignation of the former president.
Mail Ballot Envelopes Will Now Be Printed with the Full Year Filled Out
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeat's free newsletters here. The Pennsylvania Department of State is hoping another change to mail ballot return envelopes will eliminate the chance of ballots being rejected this November because of voters failing to write in the year completely. In a directive earlier this month, the Department of State told counties that they should now preprint ballot return envelopes with the full, four-digit year in the date field, leaving voters to fill in just the month and day alongside their signature. “We conducted an analysis after...
This Year’s Budget Overturns Local Bans on Rodeos. No Pa. Lawmaker Will Take Credit
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. HARRISBURG — Under a little-noticed provision in the new state budget, Pennsylvania municipalities will be forced to allow rodeo events to take place in their borders even if local lawmakers have voted to restrict them. Only one place in the commonwealth appears to fit this description: Pittsburgh, which more than 30 years ago banned the use of some tools to control animals, including electric prods and spurs. The language is tucked into the nearly 140-page fiscal code, an...
Pa. Supreme Court Upholds License for Nittany Mall Casino
The state's highest court has upheld the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's decision to award a license for a planned casino at the Nittany Mall, paving the way for the project to move forward. Pennsylvania's Supreme Court in an opinion issued Wednesday found the board acted properly in awarding the license to Ira Lubert at a 2020 auction, dismissing a challenge brought by losing bidder Stadium Casino. Stadium, a subsidiary of Baltimore-based Cordish Companies, has 14 days to file a motion to reconsider. The project can now move ahead unless the decision is appealed to a higher court, PGCB spokesperson Doug Harbach said. "The Gaming...
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