• In Harrisburg, we have protests, but no state budget. And a restart at Three Mile Island.
    Jun 27 2025

    While Pennsylvania lawmakers haggle over the state budget, liberal advocacy groups are using protests to call for higher taxes on billionaires to fund public services.

    In 1979, Three Mile Island was the site of what is often called the worst nuclear power accident on U.S. soil. Our colleague Jaxon White, from LNP | LancasterOnline, has the latest on the restarting of the Island’s nuclear reactor.

    Environmental groups say Tokyo-based Nippon Steel’s recent purchase of U.S. Steel should lead to cleaner operations at the company’s Pittsburgh-area plants. But they haven’t heard much from the Japanese steelmaker.

    New disclosures with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission show President Trump will control the so-called “golden share," as part of the national security agreement under which he allowed Japan-based Nippon Steel to buy out iconic American steelmaker U.S. Steel.

    With the state budget deadline approaching, the company that owns “skill game” terminals throughout Pennsylvania says lawmakers have pushed it out of discussions on how the industry should be regulated. Taxing the casino-style games is a key part of Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget, one that would raise hundreds of millions of dollars to fund schools and public transit.

    The former captain of a Dauphin County fire company is wanted by police after missing two court appearances earlier this year. A Dauphin County judge issued a bench warrant for 55-year-old Steven Bartholomew’s arrest in March. He's accused of driving firetrucks for the Paxtang Fire Company No. 1 several times in 2024 without a valid driver’s license.

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    8 mins
  • GOP frontrunners for the next PA governor’s race. And a bill related to Naloxone speeds through Harrisburg.
    Jun 26 2025

    Next year's Pennsylvania gubernatorial race is already on the political horizon. So far, the Republican field is shaping up with three prominent figures expressing interest.

    EMTs could soon be authorized to give caregivers medication that would reverse opioid overdoses, as a bill is quickly moving through the state Capitol.

    Pennsylvania could receive as much as 200 million dollars as part of a massive settlement with drug maker Purdue Pharma. That's according to PA Attorney General Dave Sunday. The payout is part of a $7.4 billion deal, stemming from the opioid crisis, in which prosecutors and addiction experts say Purdue and its owners the Sackler family played a major role.

    A portion of land in Somerset County is now protected through a recent acquisition by The Nature Conservancy. The land is part of a critical ecosystem, and it's being added to State Game Lands 82.

    Police say an 18-year old stabbed his father to death with a machete-style knife during an early-morning argument Tuesday in their West York home.

    Raw milk sold in Lancaster County and throughout Central Pennsylvania is contaminated and should be thrown out, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The milk is contaminated with an infectious intestinal disease. The affected milk is Meadow View Jerseys brand raw milk purchased since April 1 with sell-by dates between April 15 and July 8.

    A Pennsylvania college is addressing its growing financial issues by auctioning its art collection. Albright College, located in Reading, Berks County - according to a report by our partners at Spotlight PA - is preparing to auction more than 2,000 pieces of art.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro was joined by Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer LeSean McCoy, at the official ribbon-cutting for a new 41-unit housing complex in Harrisburg, to benefit low and moderate income home buyers.

    And comedian and actor Shane Gillis, a Mechanicsburg native, will be hosting this year's ESPYS awards show.

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    10 mins
  • PSU plays a role in Chile’s new Rubin Observatory. And UPMC stops gender-affirming care for transgender patients.
    Jun 25 2025

    People around the world got a first look at pictures and videos from the new Rubin Observatory in Chile on Monday. We take you to a watch party on Penn State’s University Park campus, to meet some of the professors who helped bring the project to life.

    UPMC is among the hospital systems in Pennsylvania no longer providing certain gender-affirming care for transgender patients next month. Providers are urging UPMC to reverse its decision.

    Suicide is the leading cause of gun-related deaths in Pennsylvania. The state is offering one million dollars in grants to help communities prevent these deaths.

    An intense and nearly historic weather pattern is cooking much of the U.S. under a dangerous heat dome this week with triple-digit temperatures in places that haven't been so hot in more than a decade. That includes the entire 19-county WITF listening area, which remains under an extreme heat advisory through 8 pm Wednesday.

    A Lancaster County police chief is fired, in the wake of a video of an off-duty traffic stop he conducted - in which he drew a gun and grappled with a motorcyclist.

    And in the town of New Berlin, Union County, a central Pennsylvania tradition is being put on hold this year.

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    9 mins
  • A literacy epidemic hits PA. And “No Corporate Crooks” bill introduced by a PA congressman.
    Jun 24 2025

    It’s being called a literacy epidemic. Only about one third of 4th graders in Pennsylvania are proficient in reading. That’s according to the latest federal numbers. Advocates are calling on state lawmakers to improve training for teachers and to support early literacy screening and intervention.

    Community college students can have a difficult time transferring to a 4-year school. But state-owned and related universities in Pennsylvania are adopting practices to help those students enroll and graduate.

    Pennsylvania Congressman Chris Deluzio is proposing legislation that would prohibit anyone convicted of corruption or financial crimes from working in the White House or a federal agency. It's part of a broader anti-corruption package Deluzio has been pursuing in recent months. It’s being called the "No Corporate Crooks" bill.

    Central PA is in the grips of a heat wave. The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for the entire Central Pennsylvania region, through Wednesday night.

    For the first time this year, Pennsylvania's drought conditions appear to be reversed. Drought warnings have been removed from the entire state except for a very small portion of southern York and Lancaster Counties.

    Both U.S. senators from Pennsylvania are praising President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend. While many Democrats were stunned by the reported attack, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman was among the first to applaud Trump for the attack on the three Iranian facilities.

    The state's top fiscal watchdog - Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim DeFoor - is investigating Pennsylvania's Department of Aging.

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    10 mins
  • An innovative inmate hospice program in PA. And a deep dive into PA’s Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) - the first of its kind in the nation.
    Jun 23 2025

    The inmate population at the state Prison at Waymart in Northeastern PA is older than most other state lockups. And its volunteer-based hospice program allows inmates to receive training to care for other inmates at the end of their lives.

    The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) recently announced a new initiative, creating a new statewide Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Technical Assistance Center, hailed as the first-of-its kind in the nation. Joining us for a deeper dive is Jackie Weaknecht, director of PCCD's office of justice programs.

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    12 mins
  • U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel make an historic steel deal. And PA gears up for America250.
    Jun 20 2025

    It's being called an historic partnership. It took a year and a half to close the deal, but Nippon [knee-pawn] Steel has completed its purchase of U.S. Steel for $15 billion.

    A new sculpture celebrates Blair County’s history, at the entrance to DelGrosso’s Amusement Park. It’s part of a statewide initiative to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

    A Dauphin County nonprofit is among the organizations receiving funding, in the latest round of grants awarded by America250PA.

    Pennsylvania motorists can begin their America250 celebration early. PennDOT says license plates are now available marking Pennsylvania as the Birthplace of American Democracy.

    LancasterHistory's newest museum is being accepted into a National Park Service network dedicated to the U.S. era of Reconstruction.

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    8 mins
  • The Governor’s public transportation plan gets a green light. PA water providers reduce PFAs. And Central PA celebrates Juneteenth.
    Jun 19 2025

    The state's budget is due in the next two weeks, but House members have already approved Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposal for spending on transit.

    Legislation approved by the state House of Representatives would increase oversight of hospital sales and acquisitions in Pennsylvania when they involve for-profit and private equity firms.

    Water providers in Pennsylvania say they’re reducing toxic chemicals known as PFAs from drinking water. It's happening at the same time the Trump administration is threatening to weaken federal regulations set just last year.

    Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania believe they’ve found a treatment that fights glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer.

    Jere Bagenstose is sentenced to 4 to 10 years in prison... for killing his estranged wife Maryann Bagenstose in 1984. The sentencing Tuesday brings an end to one of Lancaster County's oldest unsolved homicide cases.

    Now an update to a story we told you about earlier this week. The Adams County Commissioners are calling a controversial social media post by the Adams County sheriff “unacceptable.”

    Former staff at Lancaster County's Field of Screams are speaking out against what they describe as a hostile work environment. In a report by our partners at Spotlight PA, about 20 current and former volunteers who worked at Field of Screams covering a 15-year period through last year... describe a hostile environment where some unpaid adult staff sexually harassed, forcibly grabbed and groped young volunteers, and pressured teenagers into sex.

    Harrisburg's Juneteeth celebrations today include the city's Juneteenth Jubilee. This free event, held at Soldiers and Sailors Grove behind the Capitol kicks off at noon and features music, performances, children's activities and free food.

    Today is also Jubilee Day in Mechanicsburg, the longest-running one-day street fair on the East Coast.

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    12 mins
  • Lawmakers want to ban AI in political ads. And a Penn State board member is ousted.
    Jun 18 2025

    A Pennsylvania House bill would partially ban the use of artificial intelligence in political campaign ads. Supporters hope it boosts election integrity.

    The federal budget bill that passed the U-S House last month would have overhauled aid for college students. Education affordability advocates say the Senate’s version is an improvement, but they’re still worried.

    Penn State’s Board of Trustees has voted to remove one of its most outspoken members. The 30-4 vote is the latest chapter in an ongoing battle between the board and member Barry Fenchak.

    A central Pennsylvania sheriff is under fire for a controversial social media post.

    In York County, officials are approving a plan for a waste transfer station. A landfill, used since the 1970s, is nearing capacity.

    And the state is changing the ways doe tags are distributed to hunters.

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    8 mins