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Record breaking number of Crosscutters players selected for MLB Draft
Williamsport, Pa. — This year marks a new high for the Williamsport Crosscutters since their entry into the MLB Draft League. Ten of this year's Cutters have been recruited in the recently-completed 2024 MLB Draft. The Cutters had eight players selected in 2021; six in 2022; and nine in 2023. The Crosscutters also hold the distinction of having hosted the highest drafted player selected from the league: Sabin Ceballos was selected with Pick 94 in the third Round of the 2023 MLB Draft. ...
Local woman caught stealing from school district’s PTO fund
Montgomery, Pa. — A woman’s husband exposed her for stealing Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) funds to cover credit card debt and personal expenses. Elizabeth Jane DeSantis, 44, of Montgomery, admitted to taking the funds during an interview with state police investigators in May 2023, Trooper Josiah Reiner said. William Weber, resource officer at Montgomery Area School District, contacted authorities in April of that year to report the misappropriation of funds by DeSantis. ...
Strip club fight ends in felony charges for Columbia Crossroads man
Port Matilda, Pa. — Staff and state police troopers were the alleged target of a man who was denied VIP access at a State College gentleman’s club. Richard Garland Jones, 27, of Columbia Crossroads allegedly fought staff members and officers at The END ZONE Show, 100 Lion Lane, according to Officer Jeremey Pollick. Employees called 911 after Jones and Jose Anthony Borges were turned away from the VIP area, Pollick added. ...
Local governments could save millions if public notice requirements change. Newspapers oppose the move.
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. State College, Pa. — As newspapers print less frequently in some communities and close in others, local government groups want the legislature to change a state law that requires municipalities to publish public notices in a community’s paper of record. Two bills...
Shapiro administration secures $500 million for I-83 bridge
Harrisburg, Pa. — Pennsylvania made history this week when the Shapiro Administration received the largest federal transportation grant the state has ever seen. The $500 million Large Bridge Project grant, planned for the I-83 South Bridge in Harrisburg, was formally announced Wednesday at a press conference with Governor Josh Shapiro, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Senator Bob Casey, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll, Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams, elected officials, and labor and local leaders. ...
Bellefonte woman caught hiding in woods near state prison
Bellefonte, Pa. — Police located a woman hiding in the woods after discovering an abandoned vehicle near a State Correctional Institution in Centre County. A gold Chevrolet Trailblazer allegedly belonging to Betania Perez Pichardo, 46, of Bellefonte was discovered by state police on July 13 just before 8 p.m. Perez was located a short distance from the vehicle in a wooded area belonging to the Rockview Prison in Centre County, according to the complaint. ...
Compromises on education spending, tax cuts, and transit headline Pa.’s $47.6B budget
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. — Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed a $47.6 billion budget that increases public education spending, funnels new dollars into economic development, provides a one-time boost for transit systems, and creates a new college scholarship program. Education defined...
Crash causes back up on I-80 near Danville
Milton, Pa. — A crash near Danville today has caused significant traffic along interstate 80. The crash occurred near mile marked 221 on I-80 West at approximately 2:30 p.m. A lane restriction is in place on Interstate 80 in both directions between mile marker 220 and 221, approximately four miles west of the Route 54 interchange (Danville Exit), in Liberty Township, Montour County, due to a vehicle crash. At 3:30...
PASSHE freezes tuition for seventh year in a row
Harrisburg, Pa. — The Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) has voted to extend their tuition freeze for in-state undergraduate students for the 2024-25 academic year, according to a release from the organization. This is the seventh consecutive year the tuition rate will remain the same at all 10 universities. The repeated freezes save students nearly 25% in tuition costs compared to the price if...
First annual Pittiefest offers discounted pitbull adoptions at SPCA shelters
Danville, Pa. — The Pennsylvania SPCA hopes to start a new summer tradition with its first Pittiefest — a time to clear the stigma around pitbulls and encourage adopting them as pets. The event features a special $5 adoption fee for classic pitties from July 16 through Aug. 11. Participating shelters are PSPCA's Philadelphia Headquarters, Danville, Lancaster, and Main Line Animal Rescue. ...
New research suggests estrogen and progesterone could play role in opioid addiction and relapse
As opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. rose dramatically from 2014 to today, both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Camden, New Jersey, cemented reputations as hotspots of the crisis. In Philadelphia, over 1,170 people died of opioid overdoses in 2022, the last year for which complete data is available. More than 300 more died just over the bridge in Camden County.Research indicates that for many people with opioid use disorder, misuse starts with prescription painkillers.As neuroscientists who study the effects of addictive drugs on the brain, we...
Lycoming College launches new performing arts management major
Williamsport, Pa. — Striking a balance between foundational business administration courses and theatre, Lycoming County has launched a new performing arts management major. This new addition is ideal for students who are passionate about the arts, but are interested in working beyond the stage. In addition to theatre and performing arts coursework, students will take comprehensive business, corporate communications, marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship classes and engage in practical and internship...
The Blue Collar Bookseller: You suck: A love story
When asked to define love, I could not find my tongue. I wished to expound on its nature. To praise a woman whose beauty has launched a thousand ships, for whom men have fought, and bled, and gotten sepsis and scurvy. Perhaps Ovid said it best: “Love, it is a kind of warfare.” Yes, just like a man to compare love with battle, but within the minds of men, it is. We struggle with our pride, pay homage to our honor, and seek an answer...
Man charged for attempted illegal resale of riding mower
New Columbia, Pa. — A New Columbia man was charged for fraudulently getting a riding mower from a store in south central Pa. and trying to resell it in Union County. Trp. Bradley Derk of state police at Milton says they received a call on June 26 from a woman who found a green John Deere S140 lawn mower in her shed on Newky Road that she did not purchase. ...
PASSHE governors approve state funding, freeze tuition for seventh year
Harrisburg, Pa. — In a special meeting Wednesday morning, the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education accepted the commonwealth's 2024-25 appropriation of nearly $614.8 million, an increase of 6% over 2023-24, as well as a tuition fee freeze for a seventh consecutive year for Indiana University of Pennsylvania and nine sister institutions. "We were kind of ahead of the curve," said Board Vice Chair Samuel Smith, who also chairs the IUP Council of Trustees. "We kind of stepped out on a...
Local official’s corruption case repeatedly delayed as the city he left behind grapples with $1M deficit, secret bank accounts
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our north-central Pa. newsletter, Talk of the Town, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. State College, Pa. — A federal judge has repeatedly granted delays in the case of a former public official accused of corruption as the Pennsylvania city he once ran and allegedly fleeced grapples with the fallout and a nearly $1 million budget deficit. ...
Penn College sees unexpected increase in state budget
Williamsport, Pa. — On July 11, Gov. Josh Shapiro approved the 2024-25 Pennsylvania budget, which includes a $4 million increase in state appropriations for Penn College — a 13% increase compared to last year. In the College's 2024-25 budget, approved by the Board of Directors on June 27, the Board only anticipated a 5% increase. This brings the College's state appropriation funding to a total of $33,971,000. ...
NWS: Severe thunderstorm watch
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 552 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREASIN PENNSYLVANIA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 9 COUNTIESIN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIAADAMS COLUMBIA DAUPHINLANCASTER LEBANON MONTOURNORTHUMBERLAND SCHUYLKILL YORKTHIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BERWICK, BLOOMSBURG, DANVILLE,GETTYSBURG, HARRISBURG, HERSHEY, LANCASTER, LEBANON, POTTSVILLE,SHAMOKIN, SUNBURY, AND YORK.
Investigators release details on plane crash
Lock Haven, Pa. — Investigators have released their preliminary report into the plane crash that killed a 17-year-old Hughesville girl earlier this month. A witness near the site told investigators the Cessna 172N airplane, flown by Maisie Bitler, was only 200 feet above the ground when it passed over him just before the crash. The plane had made a sudden left turn while above the runway at the William T. Piper Memorial Airport in Lock Haven, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. ...
Montour County couple confesses to sexual assault of juvenile
Danville, Pa. — A couple living in Danville confessed to having three-way sex with a 15-year-old during interviews with Pennsylvania State Police. Dennis James Aikey, 43, and Bethany Landis, 38, both of Danville told police about the abuse during interviews at the end of June, Trooper James Nestico said. Aikey initially admitted to having sex with the child, but when confronted by police with a confession from Landis, he came clean about the additional instances that had involved Landis, Nestico added. ...
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