Breaking News

PA News

Mars Wrigley fined after workers fall into vat of chocolate

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Federal workplace safety authorities have fined a central Pennsylvania confectionary factory more than $14,500 following an accident last year in which two workers fell into a vat of chocolate. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Mars Wrigley in the June accident at the Elizabethtown M&M/Mars factory, saying the workers were not authorized to work in the tanks and weren’t trained on the proper safety procedures for the equipment. Officials said two workers employed by an outside contracting firm fell into the partially filled ...

Cosby prosecutors urge Supreme Court to restore his conviction

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, complaining in a petition released Monday the verdict was thrown out over a questionable agreement that the comic claimed gave him lifetime immunity. They said the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in June to overturn Cosby’s conviction created a dangerous precedent by giving a press release the legal weight of an immunity agreement. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele called the court’s decision “an indefensible rule,” predicting an onslaught ...

GOP field in Pa.’s Senate race heads for reshuffle

HARRISBURG (AP) — The Republican field of candidates aiming to capture Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat in next year’s election is churning anew, with the candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump out and intriguing new candidates possibly in. Out is Sean Parnell — a favorite of Donald Trump Jr. — who ended his campaign after losing a custody battle in court in which the judge said he believed allegations of abuse made by Parnell’s estranged wife. “With the leading candidate getting out, that’s certainly going to create a reshuffling of the race here,” ...

Wolf signals readiness for redistricting

HARRISBURG (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday released the priorities for drawing Pennsylvania’s new congressional districts given to him by the panel he picked, signaling that he is ready to start discussions with Republicans who control the Legislature. In theory, the principles given to Wolf will guide the Democrat in his dealings with Republican lawmakers, less than four years after a divided state Supreme Court redrew the map to replace a GOP-drawn map it judged to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered. Wolf’s office did not make him available for an interview. But, in a ...

Central PA Theatre offers playwriting competition for 2022

BELLEFONTE — The Central PA Theatre and Dance Festival, presented by Tempest Productions, is sponsoring a playwriting competition as part of the Festival’s fifth year. Writers of all ages and experience levels are invited to submit their previously unproduced, original works for consideration. The winning entries will be performed as readings during the Festival in June 2022. The event includes categories for both one act and short plays. One-act category entries should have a performance time of no less than 30 minutes and no more than 45 minutes. Short plays should have a ...

Pa. unemployment rate plummets for 8th straight month

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate fell for the eighth month in a row in October, according to new state figures, as payrolls grew but the labor force shrank amid an ongoing struggle for employers struggle to find workers. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 6% from September’s rate, according to state Department of Labor and Industry figures released Friday. The national rate was 4.6% in October, and Pennsylvania lags most other states, tied at 40th among 50. In a survey of households, the labor force shrank for the ...