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Shapiro parodies and chatbot phone banks — how AI is popping up in Pa. elections

by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA HARRISBURG — Candidates for office in Pennsylvania are using AI tools to generate parody images of their rivals, create campaign materials, and answer questionnaires. They aren’t making deepfakes, which are images, audio, or videos generated to appear real and misinform the public. But that doesn’t mean tech and election experts aren’t concerned that this could be coming as generative AI becomes more accessible and sophisticated, which is why many state lawmakers want to take action. Deepfakes have already been used to influence major ...

Volunteers sought for watershed cleanup event

From staff reports SPRING CREEK — ClearWater Conservancy will host its 30th annual Watershed Cleanup Day on Saturday, April 18, inviting volunteers to help remove trash from streams, roadsides and parks across central Pennsylvania. The event will run from 8 a.m. to noon and is open to individuals, families and groups. Participants can register in advance and will be assigned to cleanup sites throughout Centre County. Organizers said the effort, which began in 1997 with a focus on the Spring Creek watershed, has grown into one of the region’s longest-running environmental ...

Pa. invests $6M in free period products for students

From staff reports PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania has invested $6 million over the past two years to provide free period products to students in schools statewide, with an additional $3 million proposed in the 2026-27 state budget. The funding supports distribution of menstrual hygiene products in more than 750 school districts, intermediate units, career and technical centers, and brick-and-mortar charter schools. State health officials said the initiative is intended to reduce barriers to learning. National data shows one in four students struggles to afford period products, and ...

Dauphin County company ordered to pay nearly $130,000 in back wages

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry has recovered $129,929 in back wages for 59 workers after finding violations of the state’s Minimum Wage Act by Dauphin County construction company S&R Enterprises. The investigation began after a complaint raised concerns that workers were not fully paid for overtime hours. A review of the company’s payroll records showed that overtime had been miscalculated, resulting in underpayments. In January 2026, the department reached an agreement requiring S&R Enterprises to pay the owed wages, which have now been fully ...

If Pennsylvania decides to legalize recreational marijuana, which government agency should run the show? Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget for 2026-27 anticipates lawmakers will legalize it and $729 million in new revenue will be generated next fiscal year. But his last budget contained a similar proposal that failed to get through the Legislature. A key disagreement was which part of government should oversee things. Now, as lawmakers start to consider Shapiro’s latest budget pitch, it appears that still no resolution has been reached in the divided Legislature. A new ...

Man sentenced to life in 2018 Northampton County killing

HARRISBURG — A Whitehall man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 20 to 40 years, for the 2018 killing of an 18-year-old in Northampton County, Attorney General Dave Sunday announced. Zahmire Welcome, 27, was convicted in October by a Northampton County jury of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping in the death of Tyrell Holmes. Authorities said Holmes was stabbed and set on fire in April 2018 outside an apartment complex in Bethlehem. Welcome was also ordered to pay restitution to the victim’s ...