A township in suburban Philadelphia voted to ban gas-powered leaf blowers by 2029, becoming the first township in Pennsylvania to ban the noisy devices.

While most of us are focused on the Thanksgiving holiday being observed this week, there's a group of Philadelphia musicians preparing for New Year's Day. The Mummers will head down Broad Street for the 125th time in just a few weeks.

The director of the Penn State Cancer Institute resigned last Friday following an investigation by our partners at Spotlight PA focusing on his care of patients and leadership of the center.

A Republican-led Senate committee is moving to subpoena the Shapiro administration for records of taxpayer-funded security upgrades underway at Governor Josh Shapiro's personal home near Philadelphia.

PennDOT is reminding Pennsylvanians of the dangers of impaired driving and the importance of appointing a designated driver this holiday season.

Nearly 3-point-4 million drivers will be using the Pennsylvania Turnpike this week for their Thanksgiving travels.

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Hanover Foods has agreed to pay $1.1 million in fines - and improve its wastewater treatment - to resolve a federal lawsuit filed by the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association.

The U.S. Department of Energy says it's loaning $1 billion to help finance the restart of the nuclear power plant on Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island.

And today we have two deep dives into Pennsylvania’s water quality: Turning to Western Pennsylvania - while air pollution in the Mon Valley has been the focus of environmental concerns and lawsuits for many years, some groups are also looking at water quality.

Microplastics have been found in humans’ bodies, at the bottom of the ocean and in the Arctic. They’re an emerging concern for scientists — and for a group of active seniors working to safeguard Philadelphia’s environment.

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Catholic leaders are speaking out against immigration enforcement in President Donald Trump’s second term. One Chicago priest’s protest strategy? Walking from Pope Leo’s childhood home in Illinois, through Pennsylvania, on his way to Ellis Island in New York.

A resolution approved by the state House designates this week as "Pennsylvania Education for Youth Experiencing Homelessness Week." State Rep. Ismail Smith Wade-El of Lancaster County is a co-sponsor of the resolution.

Also in Harrisburg, state lawmakers are investing in childcare. This year’s state budget includes a $25 million fund for childcare workers.

There's positive news in Pennsylvania's latest education assessments. The scores show improvements in math proficiency and graduation rates.

A new White House initiative is aimed at reshaping how young people transition out of foster care. Pennsylvania experts share their reactions.

A new study finds higher rates of skin cancer across central Pennsylvania's "farm belt"  including Dauphin, Cumberland and York counties.

Internal probes uncovered errors in chemo treatment and toxic leadership by Penn State's cancer chief. That's according to reporting - bringing those probes to light - by our partners at Spotlight PA.

Pennsylvania and its county and local governments are on track to spend nearly all of the $13 billion received in federal pandemic relief funding by the end of 2026.

 

 

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Protesters want Pennsylvania legislators to vote to bar themselves from receiving unlimited gifts or campaign contributions.

Harrisburg Republicans joined energy-sector workers at the state Capitol to celebrate Pennsylvania's withdrawal from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or "reggie."

When Congress reached a deal to end the federal government shutdown,  it did not include extending additional tax credits for people who buy insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

Pennsylvanians stand to pay, on average, double their current premiums in 2026. Some are considering buying cheaper catastrophic health plans instead.

Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry is partnering with the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership in Schuylkill County. The organizations have announced plans to open a rural dentistry campus.

PPL's residential customers can expect a nearly 4% increase in their electricity costs starting December 1st.

The public is invited to weigh in on Lancaster's proposed data center benefits agreement during a special city council meeting set for tonight (Thursday evening).

The North Hanover Mall is condemned, after a wall collapsed last weekend.

The City of Reading may be forced to pull millions of dollars from its reserves over the next few years to balance its budget.

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Elected officials on both sides of the aisle cheered the passage of Pennsylvania's long-delayed state budget last week. But the Republican Party's likely nominee for governor next year is not among them.

New trees were planted in Harrisburg City late last week as part of a $500,000 investment statewide to add shade, reduce stormwater runoff and make communities more welcoming.

Penn State grad student workers have overwhelmingly voted to form a union.

Unionized faculty at Harrisburg Area Community College have avoided a strike. A tentative agreement has been reached between school officials and the instructors, represented by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman is back in Washington D-C this week - after being hospitalized in Pittsburgh last week.

About 70 protesters with March on Harrisburg demonstrated at the state Capitol Monday, calling for a ban on gifts to lawmakers. More than a dozen of the protesters were arrested after they blocked the entrances to the House and Senate wings.

The Lancaster County Commissioners will vote on their latest annual budget plan on Christmas Eve - not December 10th as previously planned. The change follows a two-week delay in unveiling the 2026 budget.

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The brother of the man who died in ICE custody in Clearfield County in August has filed a lawsuit against the federal government.

And a deep dive: Women going through menopause have a new option for treating symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats: An FDA approved, non-hormonal medication is now available.

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Pennsylvania lawmakers abandoned an effort to limit climate pollution as part of a state budget deal. The program, called RGGI (“reggie") was labeled an obstacle. But it remains to be seen if the repeal will open the door to alternatives.

Even though court fights meant the state never actually participated in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, observers say the repeal of the program is still a loss.

Even though Halloween is over, the focus on bats is year-round at one Pennsylvania organization. We have a deep dive into their race to save Pennsylvania's bats from a disease that has decimated millions of them.

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U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania remains in a Pittsburgh hospital after a heart episode caused him to fall and injure his head on Thursday.

After a 135-day budget stalemate, Pennsylvania finally has a budget. It's an agreement born of compromise, including the state withdrawing from a multi-state compact whose goal was to limit the emission of fossil fuels. 

Pennsylvania’s new state budget is bringing relief to nonprofits and social-service agencies after a months-long impasse put many on the brink. For more than four months, organizations providing homelessness, mental health, and addiction services operated without state payments. That led to some cutting programs or relying on emergency credit to make payroll.  

An Election Day poll book error left out third-party voters in Chester County and forced thousands to cast provisional ballots. The Chester County Board of Elections has established a timeline on its investigation. 

Health officials in Philadelphia are warning recent air travelers about a possible measles exposure earlier this week. 

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is teaming up with the state Attorney General to go after motorists who fail to pay tolls on the Turnpike. 

A new report shows the US Open golf championship held near Pittsburgh in June generated nearly $290 million for Pennsylvania's economy. 

It's the end of an era, as the U.S. Mint has officially ended production of the penny. The last of the one cent coins were struck Wednesday at the US Mint in Philadelphia, where the country’s smallest denomination coins have been produced since 1793, a year after Congress passed the Coinage Act. 

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Governor Josh Shapiro has signed a more than $50 billion state budget into law. Lawmakers praised compromise to end the four-month budget standoff.

Legal battles over SNAP funding continue, even as Congress takes steps to end the federal government shutdown. Food retailers in Pennsylvania are worried what will happen if SNAP payments are paused any longer.

An Adams County couple is suing the Bermudian Springs School District following the suicide death of their 15-year-old son in December 2023.

More than $250,000 is heading to York County nonprofits, thanks to community grants from the York County Community Foundation. In total, grant funding is headed to 21 nonprofits.

Pennsylvania State Police are reminding pet owners to take care of their furry friends as winter weather approaches. Pet owners not providing for animals' basic needs face potential animal neglect and cruelty charges.

 

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In Harrisburg, key legislative leaders appear to be in agreement on a budget deal, which would end Pennsylvania's months-long budget impasse. The news broke late last night - and legislators in both chambers are expected to return this morning to approve the deal.

Meantime in Washington, the Senate passed a bill to reopen the federal government late Sunday night, and the House is expected to take their first look at the bill today. In order to pass the budget bill, eight Democratic Senators broke rank with their party to reach a deal with Republicans to end the federal government shutdown. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was among them. Some House members from Pennsylvania say it was a bad idea.

Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit to stop the expansion of a major natural gas pipeline system in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The project would include ten miles of new pipe in Lancaster County and an expanded compressor station in Chester County.

A 27-year-old Carlisle woman is being charged with murder in connection with the death of her daughter. Annjalee Nunez is being charged more than two years after her 2-year-old daughter died from fentanyl toxicity.

An EMS funding crisis is forcing some Berks County communities to consider new taxes or fees. Only about a dozen of Berks County's 72 municipalities have a designated EMS tax, according to reporting by our partners at Spotlight PA.

A popular area state park campground will be closing for upgrades next year. Gifford Pinchot State Park, located in York County, will close its campground after Labor Day in September of 2026 and remain closed through 2027.

Yesterday was Veterans Day – and we end today with the story of a Lancaster County soldier whose remains were just returned to his family in September.

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