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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 […]
Pa. launches right-to-counsel program with hopes of reducing evictions
Funding for the new program was included in the budget lawmakers passed last week. For the first time ever, Pennsylvania will offer free legal representation to low-income renters facing an eviction or another housing-related issue. The new budget includes $2.5 million for a statewide right-to-counsel program. The funding will be...
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...
Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund Reaches Record High
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity has commended the combined efforts of the General Assembly and the Governor for their decision to allocate approximately $740 million to the state’s Rainy Day Fund for the fiscal year 2024-25. This addition boosts the reserve fund to a record $6.987 billion. When Garrity assumed office, the fund was significantly smaller, barely covering two days of the Commonwealth’s expenses. Now, with four years of robust savings, the fund can sustain the state for 53.6 days, surpassing the national median of 46 days.
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...
Pa. heat advisories are outpacing the average rate this summer. Climate change plays a role.
Pennsylvania is seeing more frequent bouts of extreme heat this summer. Since June 1, the National Weather Service has issued 18 heat advisories in the state. That’s 13 more than the average for this time period over the last two decades, according to data collected by Iowa State University.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis denounces Project 2025 in Pittsburgh speech
PITTSBURGH — Lt. Gov. Austin Davis on Thursday, the final day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, spoke out against a possible second term for former President Donald Trump, a nationwide abortion ban, and a recently released conservative policy proposal. Davis and other leaders spoke at a news conference in the city’s South Side […] The post Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis denounces Project 2025 in Pittsburgh speech appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star.
Electricity restored to 82K PPL customers across Pa. Met-Ed says lights will be on soon.
Three days of powerful storms cut power to thousands of properties in the Lehigh Valley this week. And the heat was unrelenting before finally becoming seasonable Thursday. A representative of PPL Electric Utilities said Thursday the company had restored power to some 82,000 customers across its Pennsylvania territory since Monday. As of Thursday afternoon, PPL reported 2,268 outages among 1,524,524 customers in 18 counties, including 399 outages in Lehigh County paired with 53 in Northampton County. The Allentown-based utility on Wednesday reported just more than 1,000 outages in Lehigh and Northampton. PPL services 29 counties.
New scam targets Pennsylvania drivers
EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — A new scam is sweeping across Pennsylvania that targets drivers. The scammers send text messages claiming to be from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and telling people they have an outstanding toll balance. The scam offers up a link for people to pay that supposed unpaid balance. Those who have received a […]
August DUI checkpoint announced for Pennsylvania
(WJET/WFXP) – Here’s another reminder to stay safe on the roads as the Pennsylvania State Police have scheduled another DUI checkpoint for next month. Police will hold the checkpoint during the month of August at undisclosed locations in McKean County with the goal of keeping roadways safe and decrease injuries and deaths caused by impaired drivers. […]
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