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Pennsylvania Capital-Star, Harrisburg, PA (2025)

09/27/2025

County election officials are required to accurately report when voters’ mail-in ballots have been set aside because of disqualifying errors and allow their votes to be counted on provisional ballots, Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled.

The state Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision Friday upholds lower court rulings that Washington County election officials violated voters’ rights by misleading them about the status of their mail-in ballots.

The state Supreme Court’s ruled Washington County officials violated voters’ rights by misleading them about their mail-in ballots.

09/26/2025

The Week in Focus is a recap of our top stories, with a new video posting every Friday:

1. Two Democratic lawmakers from Pennsylvania, both openly autistic, slam the Trump administration’s handling of the disorder.

2. President Trump has sent troops to three cities, is Philadelphia on his radar?

3. Gov. Shapiro says PJM, which manages the power grid for PA and 12 other states, is too slow to respond to rising energy demand, and consumers are paying the price.

Two Democratic lawmakers from Pennsylvania, both openly autistic, slam the Trump administration’s handling of the disorder.

09/25/2025

Two state lawmakers in the commonwealth, both Democrats, are openly autistic. They have decried the administration’s approach to addressing the developmental disorder.

Rep. Jessica Benham (D-Allegheny) was the first lawmaker elected to the House with a publicly known diagnosis. She has been alarmed by the administration’s language when discussing autism.

“This is not the first time that autism has been politicized by this administration, and we cannot allow the whims of non-experts to determine best courses of medical care,” she said in a statement to the Capital-Star. “It’s critically important that pregnant women continue to listen to real experts and make healthcare decisions in consultation with their doctors.”

Two state lawmakers in the commonwealth, both Democrats, are openly autistic. They have decried the administration’s approach to addressing the developmental disorder.

09/22/2025

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, both Democrats, have said they plan to fight back with the tools their respective offices provide if the president turns his attention to the commonwealth.

“It is my hope that it will not get to that here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro told reporters Wednesday. “I can tell you that we are preparing aggressively on that front.”

Trump hasn't announced plans to send troops to Philadelphia, but Gov. Josh Shapiro said he's prepared to respond if it happens.

09/21/2025

The Pennsylvania Republican Party endorsed state Treasurer Stacy Garrity in the 2026 race for governor during its fall state committee meeting in State College over the weekend.

During her acceptance speech, she highlighted her small town roots in Bradford County, plus her experience as a combat veteran and elected official as reasons why she’s positioned to take on incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro next year.

The state party didn’t endorse a candidate for lieutenant governor.

09/19/2025

The Week in Focus is a recap of our top stories, with a new video posting every Friday.

1. Three police officers killed and two wounded in York County, in what is believed to be the deadliest incident involving Pennsylvania law enforcement in 16 years.

2. Gov. Josh Shapiro says leaders must show moral clarity and calls President Trump a failure on that front.

3. Researchers said Pennsylvania lost nearly $40 million in National Institutes of Health grants after federal cuts.

Three police officers killed and two wounded inYork County, the worst for Pennsylvania police in at least 16 years.

09/19/2025

“Each of these men represented the very best of policing,” Northern York County Regional Police Department Chief David Lash said of his fallen officers. “They served with professionalism, dedication and courage. They were leaders within our agency, committed to protecting this community and standing beside their fellow officers.”

York County District Attorney Tim Barker named the slain officers as Detective Sergeant Cody Becker, Detective Mark Baker and Detective Isaiah Emenheiser.

09/18/2025

Three law enforcement officers were shot and killed in North Codorus Township, York County, on Wednesday during an investigation into a “domestic-related” incident that happened at a home there the previous day, state police said.

Two others were wounded and were in critical, but stable, condition Wednesday night. The suspect was killed by police, according to State Police Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to them, to the families of the deceased and the families of those officers who were wounded,” Paris said. “There are simply no words that I can offer to assuage the grief that this community has experienced, and unfortunately will continue to experience.”

As of 6:15 p.m. Wednesday evening, there was no active threat to the public, Paris said at a press conference.

09/15/2025

Around 112 scientific grants in Pennsylvania from the National Institutes of Health have been impacted by cuts or freezes instituted by the Trump administration, according to a group of researchers and scientists who have been tracking the terminations.

An estimated 82 are currently affected, with another 30 having possibly been possibly reinstated. Losses are believed to total nearly $40 million. Yet researchers say the impact could extend beyond academia, with scientific grant funding often creating jobs and resulting in boons to local economies.

Around 112 scientific grants in Pennsylvania from the National Institutes of Health have been impacted by cuts or freezes instituted by the Trump administration, according to a group of researchers and scientists who have been tracking the terminations.

09/12/2025

The Week in Focus is a recap of our top stories, with a new video posting every Friday:

1. Gov. Josh Shapiro approved a SEPTA funding transfer, giving the agency two years of breathing room but says the final state budget will not include recurring transit funding.

2. Every state has some form of a spending plan in place except Pennsylvania and Michigan.

3. A bipartisan group of state senators recently heard from pharmacy owners about the impact of pharmacy benefit manager, or PBMs, and what more can be done to keep pharmacies from closing across Pennsylvania.

Governor Josh Shapiro approved a SEPTA funding transfer, giving the agency two years of breathing room.

09/11/2025

On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of state senators heard from pharmacy owners about the impacts of pharmacy benefit manager reforms and what can still be done to stop pharmacies across the commonwealth from closing.

One of the pharmacists sharing her experiences was Chichi Momah, the CEO and founder of Springfield Pharmacy in Delaware County.

Aside from filling prescriptions and administering vaccines, Momah’s business does tests for diseases like RSV and strep, provides special packaging for patients with memory issues, makes house calls to disabled patients, and regularly advises patients on a host of health issues — services that are especially important since the closure of nearby Crozer Medical Center and Taylor Hospital.

“Our work is hands-on. It’s constant and it is deeply personal,” Momah said.

Yet Momah said her pharmacy is struggling, and she’s often shifting funds around to keep all the pieces of her business afloat.

“We are exhausted,” she said. “We’re stretched thin and doing everything possible to serve patients with the very little resources we have.”

”It’s very telling to me that we have a caucus here of folks from rural and urban areas, Republican and Democrat, and we’re coming to you in desperation,” said Sen. Judy Ward

09/10/2025

Earlier this week, we told about the two states that have been unable to pass some form of a budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year -- Pennsylvania and Michigan.

This is happening while lawmakers in other states have figured out their spending plans – or contingencies. North Carolina, for example, has passed a “mini-budget” bill that prevents disruptions in state operations.

If you are interested in listening to a breakdown of the budget situations in Pennsylvania and Michigan, check out Emily Previti's conversation with her colleague Peter Hall and Michigan Advance's Ben Solis.

(This story was reported collaboratively between the Pennsylvania Capital-Star and its sister outlet Michigan Advance. https://penncapital-star.com/governmen...

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