News
To block school mask order, House GOP appeals to arcane committee
Majority House Republicans have asked an obscure state regulatory oversight committee to review the Wolf administration’s school mask mandate. In a 15-5 vote on Tuesday, the GOP-controlled House Health Committee’s lawmakers approved a six-page letter laying out their legal objections to the order. It goes on to request that the Commonwealth Joint Committee on Documents […]
Pa. Health Dept: More than 3,700 new COVID cases; 2,308 hospitalized
Pennsylvania logged 3,732 new cases of COVID-19 as of midday on Tuesday, while the number of people hospitalized for treatment for the virus continued to rise. Statewide, 2,308 people were hospitalized, up from Monday’s tally of 2,239 on Monday, according data posted to the state Health Department’s COVID tracking website. A total of 580 people […]
Wolf business waiver program inconsistent and could be gamed, audit finds
The report, however, ruled out any foul play, Auditor General Tim DeFoor's office concluded
Meet Pauli Murray: The civil rights activist you’ve never heard of
Pauli Murray worked alongside some of the biggest names in the Civil Rights movement but many have never heard of them. A new film tells their story.
In Reading, Wolf urges eligible Pennsylvanians to get vaccine to protect school-age children
“We need to do everything in our power” to keep kids in the classroom, Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday, as he urged Pa. residents to help end the pandemic.
How the $3.5T budget bill before Congress helps Pa., other states on agriculture
The bill sets aside $66B for fighting climate change, encouraging research. It passed committee on party lines
As nation grapples with climate disasters, Pa. reps look to resurrect a Depression-era program
If Pa. lawmakers get their way, a Depression-era environmental work relief program may make a revival after a nearly 80-year hiatus
Wolf pulls election chief’s nomination amid legislative election review row
Gov. Tom Wolf argued that confirmation hearings would give GOP lawmakers the chance to make bad faith arguments attacking the integrity of the 2020 election.
Pa. logs 12K new COVID-19 cases over the weekend; More than 2,200 hospitalized, Health Department says
The state's overall positivity rate rose to 9.1 percent for the period between Sept. 3 and Sept. 9.
Pa.’s long-serving prisons chief, John E. Wetzel, is leaving, Wolf admin says
Wetzel, whose work to reform the state's sprawling and expensive prison system, won him plaudits, told the Capital-Star that he plans to open a criminal justice nonprofit in February.
Pa. prison guards union sues to block Wolf’s vaccine policy
The union representing 11,000 Pennsylvania prison guards and other corrections staff has filed a lawsuit to block Gov. Tom Wolf’s vaccine policy. The policy, announced last month, required thousands of state employees working in congregate settings — such as state-run hospitals, homes for the disabled, and prisons — to get vaccinated or be tested for […]
Biden admin announces its ‘comprehensive plan’ to fix high drug prices
A new report glosses over some major concerns.