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Court sides with expelled student over memes deemed as threat

HARRISBURG (AP) — District administrators overreached when they permanently expelled a 17-year-old high school student for sending Snapchat messages after school hours that referred to another student as a potential school shooter, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The justices said such communications must be analyzed in context and the primary focus should be the speaker’s intent. The Manheim Township School District high school junior, identified as J.S. in court records, was suspended and then expelled over a series of messages sent to a friend in April 2018. ...

Lawmakers attempt to toughen DUI penalty

HARRISBURG (AP) — The state House of Representatives on Wednesday approved legislation aiming to increase penalties for motorists who have multiple DUI convictions to end what critics have called Pennsylvania’s “revolving door” for the most serious drunk drivers. The bill passed 168-32, and goes to the state Senate for consideration there. The Senate passed a similar bill in 2020, but it died in the House. Under the House bill, penalties would rise for those who receive multiple driving-under-the-influence convictions with higher blood-alcohol content levels. The bill was ...

Mask mandate must expire Dec. 4, judge rules in twist

HARRISBURG (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday said an order that requires masks inside K-12 schools and child care facilities to contain the coronavirus must expire Dec. 4, although that is unlikely to be the final legal development in the case. The ruling by Commonwealth Court Judge Christine Fizzano Cannon comes a week after her court threw out the statewide mask mandate, and it lifts the automatic suspension of that decision granted when Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration appealed to the state Supreme Court. Cannon’s ruling, in theory, gives time for the state Supreme Court ...

Five tips for a healthier holiday season

The holiday season that spans from November until early January is about to begin. During this busy time of year, it is easy to allow those healthy eating and physical activity habits we have worked on all year to fall by the wayside. With added busyness and all those holiday goodies thrown in, this is the time when we need those healthy habits the most. As we approach the holidays, think about balancing healthy eating and physical activity while enjoying your favorite holiday traditions by following some of the tips provided here. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 2019 article ...

Pennsylvania pushes ‘forever chemicals’ drinking water limit

HARRISBURG (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration on Tuesday received preliminary regulatory approval to set a statewide drinking water limit on the presence of two forms of highly toxic chemicals, nicknamed “forever chemicals.” The proposed rule, approved by the Environmental Quality Board, would set a limit of 14 parts per trillion for perfluorooctanoic acid and 18 parts per trillion for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid. The rule applies to all 3,117 water systems, the Department of Environmental Protection said. Both chemicals belong to the group of perfluoroalkyl and ...

House voids PennDOT plan to toll bridges for repairs

HARRISBURG (AP) — A plan to add tolls on nine bridges suffered a setback Tuesday when the Pennsylvania state House passed a bill to void the proposal, although the legislation requires one more Senate vote and faces opposition from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. The tolling plan would pay for the bridges’ repair or reconstruction, freeing up money from the new federal infrastructure bill for other projects across the state. But opponents say tolls would hurt the local economy near the bridges, and there wasn’t enough public input. “We are all elected to represent our areas and ...