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Bellefonte Community Band to perform patriotic concert

STATE COLLEGE — The Bellefonte Community Band will present an “America 250”-themed concert Sunday, July 5, as part of the 2026 South Hills School of Business & Technology Music Picnic Series. The free outdoor concert will begin at 6 p.m. on the north lawn of South Hills’ main campus, 480 Waupelani Drive, State College. The all-volunteer ensemble, made up of musicians from throughout the Centre Region, will perform a patriotic program celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. Selections will honor the nation and Pennsylvania, featuring music ranging from the works of John ...

Poll: Voters give Trump worse marks on economic approval

President Donald Trump’s economic approval has fallen further than his overall job approval, a reversal from the economic strength that got him elected, a new national poll finds. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found 37% of registered voters approve of how Trump is handling the economy, while 60% disapprove, a net of negative 23 points. On overall job approval, 40% approve and 58% disapprove, a net of negative 18 points. Both figures represent a drop from March, when Trump’s overall job approval stood at net negative 6 and his economic approval at net negative 8. Economic ...

Over $10B US taxpayer dollars spent on improper SNAP payments in 2025

U.S. states and territories made a collective $10 billion in improper payments to SNAP recipients nationwide in fiscal year 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports. The average error payment rate, which includes both over- and underpayments, was roughly 10.6%, well above the congressionally set threshold of 6%. “These payment error rates are further proof that state accountability is severely lacking in SNAP,” USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday. “USDA has taken historic action to help interested states curb SNAP waste, and I hope other states, regardless of ...

Shapiro wants to use incentives to push data centers

HARRISBURG — As Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro attempts to thread a needle between attracting data center projects to Pennsylvania and satisfying their critics, members of his own party — and many Republicans — are backing a more aggressive regulatory approach. The split between the governor and other lawmakers could be seen this week in a pair of conflicting bills the Democratic-controlled state House passed. One was Shapiro’s own marquee data center proposal, which aims to incentivize developers to, among other things, be more transparent and reduce environmental impacts by ...

Senate approves bill revising second-degree murder sentencing law

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Senate has approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Dallas, and Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Johnstown, that would revise the state’s sentencing and parole procedures for second-degree murder convictions following a recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision. Senate Bill 1400 is intended to update state law in response to the court’s ruling in Commonwealth v. Lee, which lawmakers said affects how sentences for second-degree murder are administered. Supporters of the legislation argue that without the changes, individuals convicted of ...

State Attorney General Dave Sunday Jr. talks about ways to avoid phone scams

Technology, as everyone knows, is both a blessing and a curse. It has streamlined people’s lives while also complicating and, sometimes, even endangering them — particularly in the case of scammers who tend to prey on an older population that may not be as tech-savvy. “It’s not hyperbole to say that this is at a crisis level,” said state Attorney General Dave W. Sunday Jr. on a recent visit to the Sun-Gazette. “There’s amazing things happening with technology. Innovation is putting us in places that we couldn’t have imagined as a society, but at the same time, every ...