The Latest Breaking News from Pennsylvania

Brickbat: Photo Finish

Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania, police have charged Bruce Stanley Garner, a former school bus driver for the Marple Newtown School District, with 139 counts each of invasion of privacy, unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of communication facility, and sexual abuse of children. He also faces one count each…

Reason · Jun 2, 2022

Carl P. Leubsdorf: These elections are key to 2024 election

The most important recent long-term election result may have been Brad Raffensperger’s resounding victory in Georgia’s Republican primary for secretary of state.

Tribune News Service · Jun 2, 2022

Shake Shack bread maker funds Mastriano

James Martin's donation to far-right MAGA warrior Doug Mastriano dwarfs any campaign contribution he has ever made

Salon · Jun 1, 2022

David McCormick will request hand recounts in 12 Pa. counties; opponent Mehmet Oz takes ballot dispute to Supreme Court

PHILADELPHIA — Dave McCormick’s campaign plans to ask the Commonwealth Court for a hand recount of Republican Senate primary votes in specific precincts in 12 Pennsylvania counties, they told reporters Tuesday, as the campaign raised questions about the accuracy of the vote count.

The Philadelphia Inquirer · May 31, 2022

What we know and don’t know about the Pa. explosion that killed 4 children and 1 adult

A massive explosion obliterated a home in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, last week, killing five people — four children and an adult — and leaving the tight-knit community in shock.

The Philadelphia Inquirer · May 31, 2022

Pennsylvania Republican candidates have spent $7.36 million more than Democrats

In Pennsylvania, state-level candidates spent $489.37 million between Jan. 1, 2021, and May 6, 2022. Democratic candidates spent $40.99 million and Republican candidates spent $48.35 million. 

Ballotpedia · May 30, 2022

Talking to A About Plans to Kill B Isn't a Punishable Threat

The case is Commonwealth v. Gadley, decided May 20 by Judge Mary Murray, joined by Judges Daniel McCaffery and James Gardner Colins of the Pennsylvania Superior Court; here's the trial court's summary of the facts: At the [June 15, 2021, preliminary] hearing, the Defendant's mother, Melody Blair … testified that…

Reason · May 30, 2022

Gretchen's table: An elote salad puts all this fresh corn to good use

In my kitchen, the arrival of Memorial Day often coincides with corn showing up at my neighborhood grocery store. It's not local — we have to wait until mid-July for our wonderful Pennsylvania sweet corn to arrive at farmers markets — but it's fine, a taste of all the summer…

Tribune News Service · May 30, 2022

Spotted lanternflies are hatching again. But how far do they spread each year?

PHILADELPHIA -- Black-and-white spotted lanternfly nymphs about a quarter-inch long are starting to hatch in the region, hopping across decks, patios, and trees before they morph over the summer into flying Technicolor adults.

The Philadelphia Inquirer · May 30, 2022

Gun sales and permits surged during the pandemic in Philly and Pennsylvania

In Uvalde, Texas, a gunman killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school, after picking up two powerful, AR-15-style rifles ordered through an online seller shortly after his 18th birthday — something that would have also been perfectly legal in Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia Inquirer · May 29, 2022