Pennsylvania

Proposed Safe-Injection Site in Philadelphia Found Illegal by Federal Appeals Court

The U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 decision that found a plan to open the nation’s first supervised drug injection site violates a federal law passed to shut down crack houses.

  • By Andrea Noble

After Mob Attack on U.S. Capitol, State Governments Take Precautions

Washington's governor announced plans for a heavy law enforcement presence at the state Capitol next week. Other states have taken extra security measures as well.

  • By Andrea Noble

The New Plans to Remake Appalachia’s Economy

Mayors from the region and others want the Biden administration to embrace their proposals for billions of dollars of spending, with a heavy emphasis on clean energy projects, as a way to reinvent the region as coal declines.

  • By Bill Lucia

With New Funding Elusive, a Governor Turns to Planning to Address Flood Hazards

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf outlined a three-pronged initiative this week. “It’s the best we can do right now,” he said.

  • By Bill Lucia

No Bar Night Out Before Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | National Guard deploys to El Paso to help with morgue crisis … Prosecutors are reviewing 800 cases possibly tainted by lab analyst … Nursing home workers strike in Illinois.

  • By Laura Maggi

Feds Shoot Down Pennsylvania Plan to Funnel Virus Relief Money to School Districts

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | D.C. transit agency looking at buyouts to avoid 1,400 layoffs … Missouri state Senate postpones session because of Covid outbreak among members … Texas AG controversy continues with whistleblower lawsuit.

  • By Bill Lucia and Emma Coleman

States Expanded Voting Access for the Pandemic. The Changes Might Stick.

Restrictive ballot-counting laws slowed results.

  • By Matt Vasilogambros and Lindsey Van Ness, Stateline

Vote Count Continues in Battleground States

As President Trump falsely complained of "fraud" in the continued counting and former Vice President Joe Biden urged patience, election officials explained a crush of mail-in ballots and limitations on when officials could start tallying them has led to delays in results.

  • By Andrea Noble

Pennsylvania to Separately Count Late Mail-in Ballots

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Water pollution linked to increased health costs in Wisconsin… Remote learning may have inflated Nashville school test results… Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had trouble voting this week.

  • By Andrea Noble

Pennsylvania’s New Vote-by-Mail Law Expands Access for Everyone Except the Poor

In America’s poorest big city, language barriers, unstable housing and lack of internet access make voting by mail difficult. So low-income Philadelphia residents will be voting in person, if at all.

  • By Jonathan Lai, Michaelle Bond and Samantha Melamed, ProPublica

Pennsylvania’s Rejection of 372,000 Ballot Applications Bewilders Voters and Strains Election Staff

Most rejected applications were deemed duplicates because voters had unwittingly checked a request box during the primary. The administrative nightmare highlights the difficulty of ramping up mail-in voting on the fly.

  • By Derek Willis, Ryan McCarthy and Jonathan Lai, ProPublica

States Sue EPA Over Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Plans

A group of states say New York and Pennsylvania are not doing enough to reduce water pollution and arguing the federal government is letting them get away with it.

  • By Andrea Noble

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Lawmakers Hope to Allow School Districts—Not Governor—to Set Crowd Size for Sporting Events

Spectators are currently allowed at sporting events in Pennsylvania, but state limits on crowd sizes would make it difficult for many, if any, audience members to attend games. Proposed legislation aims to allow school districts to set their own limits.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Pennsylvania Governor Suggests Selling Marijuana Through State-Run Stores

Gov. Tom Wolf isn’t the first governor to recently float state-operated marijuana retail. Pennsylvania currently runs hundreds of wine and liquor shops.

  • By Bill Lucia

State, Local Disagreements About Coronavirus Funding Boil Over

In Miami-Dade County, officials with the city of Miami are threatening a possible lawsuit, saying the county has shortchanged them. County officials say they need to be conservative with the limited funding.

  • By Andrea Noble

Lawmakers Push for Special Prosecutors to Oversee Cases Involving Police Killings

Proponents say assigning special prosecutors to investigate when police officers use deadly force can eliminate a potential conflict of interest among local district attorneys who regularly work with police.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Pennsylvania Attorney General Opens Criminal Investigations Into Nursing Homes Deaths

State Attorney General Josh Shapiro says he wants to determine if management is at fault for the thousands of residents who have died in his state.

  • By Emma Coleman

Canceled Fundraisers, Fewer Volunteers: Small Fire Departments Face Their Own Coronavirus Challenges

Staffing shortages, fundraising difficulties and a lack of personal protective equipment have forced rural and volunteer-driven fire departments to adapt quickly.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

A New Bill In Pennsylvania Would Require Burial of ‘Fetal Remains’

The bill mirrors several others that have appeared in state legislatures across the country.

  • By Emma Coleman

In Most States, Child Marriage is Legal. Some Legislators Are Trying to Change That

Several state legislatures have pending bills that would set a mandatory minimum age of 18 for anyone to get married.

  • By Emma Coleman

What’s the Right Treatment for Lyme Disease? State Legislatures Wade Into the Debate

Reports of Lyme disease have more than doubled over the past two decades. Patients contend that insurance companies sometimes won’t pay for long-term treatment, while some doctors say that it isn’t necessary.

  • By Emma Coleman