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Forecasters probe for possible tornadoes in Pennsylvania, Ohio

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The National Weather Service on Friday planned to survey damage to determine whether tornadoes touched down as storms swept across parts of western Pennsylvania and northeast Ohio. Radar data in Pennsylvania on Thursday night indicated three twisters swirled near Mt. Nebo and Hampton in Allegheny County and Buffalo Township in Washington County, forecasters said. The National Service in Cleveland issued 11 tornado warnings, the most for a single day in that area dating back to 2005, forecasters said. A roof was ripped off a house in Wickliffe and a tree fell on ...

Biden plugs $2T plan in Scranton to revive US

SCRANTON (AP) — President Joe Biden returned to his birthplace Wednesday for the first time since taking office, declaring his multitrillion-dollar safety net and infrastructure packages would restore an America starving for investments in its workers, families and the environment. The ...

Pa. appeals court takes up school mask challenge

A Pennsylvania appeals court heard arguments Wednesday on whether the Wolf administration had the legal right to impose a mask mandate on K-12 schools and child care facilities to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The state’s acting health secretary ordered students, teachers and staff to wear face coverings when inside, reversing course after Gov. Tom Wolf had earlier pledged that masking in schools would remain a local decision. The Aug. 31 order, issued as the highly contagious delta variant was driving a statewide surge in cases and hospitalizations, has sparked fierce ...

Shapiro notes $10M campaign cash for Pa. executive race

HARRISBURG (AP) — The Democratic candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, has just over $10 million on hand in his campaign account ahead of next year’s election, his campaign said Wednesday. Shapiro’s campaign finances have been a hot topic of speculation by insiders, given his reputation as a formidable fundraiser, and the disclosures come three months before the Jan. 31 deadline for gubernatorial campaigns to report year-end finances to the state. Shapiro, considered the likely Democratic nominee to succeed Gov. Tom Wolf, has raised a ...

Court breaths new life into gun laws challenge

HARRISBURG (AP) — People can sue to challenge a city’s gun restrictions even if they have not been charged with violating them, Pennsylvania’s highest court ruled Wednesday. A divided state Supreme Court said that Firearm Owners Against Crime and other plaintiffs have legal standing to take on the Harrisburg city gun ordinances. At issue are local laws with criminal penalties for discharging a gun outside a gun range, possessing guns in parks, failing to report lost or stolen guns within two days or unaccompanied children having firearms outside their homes. The majority ...

Pa. Senate moves to overhaul probation

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state Senate is again launching a bipartisan bill to overhaul how probation is handled, with a unanimous Judiciary Committee vote Tuesday. The bill limits the length of probation sentences and the circumstances under which someone on probation can be sent to jail. It passed the Senate unanimously last summer, but died without a vote in the state House of Representatives. Pennsylvania is among the states with the highest rates of people under community supervision, according to federal statistics. The case of rapper Meek Mill helped shine a ...