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Public’s help sought after teen killed at Halloween event

NORTH VERSAILLES (AP) — Authorities are asking for help from the public in their search for a teenage suspect who opened fire at a popular Halloween attraction in western Pennsylvania over the weekend, killing one 15-year-old youth and wounding another. Allegheny County police said 15-year-old Steven Eason of Wilmerding was shot in the chest and stomach and died after the shooting reported at about 8:15 p.m. Saturday at the Haunted Hills Hayride in North Versailles. Detectives said Eason had gone to the attraction with a group of friends and saw the other 15-year-old, whom they ...

Ex-federal prosecutor under Trump joins GOP governor primary

HARRISBURG (AP) — Bill McSwain, the top federal prosecutor in Philadelphia under former President Donald Trump, will run for Pennsylvania governor, he announced Monday, joining a crowded Republican field that may get bigger yet. McSwain’s announcement — his first run for public office — was not a surprise. He had written to Trump in July, seeking the former president’s endorsement for governor and, before that, had told party figures for months that he intended to run in next year’s election. In a campaign video released Monday, McSwain took on Democratic Gov. Tom ...

Pa. targeting doctors over blanket mask exemptions

Some Pennsylvania physicians are offering stock doctor’s notes for use by parents wishing to have their children exempted from wearing masks in school, according to state health officials who say they have referred the matter for possible disciplinary action. A statewide, universal mask mandate for Pennsylvania schools went into effect Tuesday as the Wolf administration seeks to keep school buildings open for in-person learning amid the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The acting health secretary’s face covering order contains an exemption for ...

GOP aims to advance election investigation with subpoenas

HARRISBURG (AP) — Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state Senate are pushing forward what the GOP calls a “forensic investigation” of last year’s presidential election, scheduling a Senate committee meeting for next Wednesday to vote on subpoenas. The newly scheduled meeting came after the top Republican in the chamber, President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, said Friday that he wants to issue subpoenas for information and testimony from top state election officials and the state’s voter registration system. In his statement, Corman also said the Senate Intergovernmental ...

Pa. Senate GOP starts investigation

HARRISBURG (AP) — Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state Senate held their first hearing Thursday in what they call a “forensic investigation” into last year’s presidential election, an underwhelming affair that Democrats nevertheless say is an extension of a national campaign to attack voting rights following former President Donald Trump’s loss. Republicans maintain that the investigation is not about Trump or overturning the election, but rather about looking into problems with the last two elections — in May and November — and trying to fix those problems. It has ...

Pitt schools chief resigns in wake of ethics ruling

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The superintendent of Pittsburgh’s public school system will step down in the wake of an ethics commission finding that he submitted “negligent” reimbursements for travel and was improperly paid for days off when he was not working for the school district. District officials said Wednesday that Superintendent Anthony Hamlet submitted his resignation, effective Oct. 1. He will get a severance package worth about $400,000, equal to one year of salary and benefits, according to the district solicitor, Ira Weiss. Last month, the State Ethics Commission said ...