Breaking News

PA News

PennTAP set to host virtual office hours for manufacturers

STATE COLLEGE — PennTAP will host a free virtual office hours session from 11 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Aug. 27, for manufacturers and economic development professionals serving Central and Northcentral Pennsylvania. The session, led by PennTAP Technical Advisor Jenn Jones, will highlight PennTAP’s no-cost technical assistance services, including support for reducing energy costs, improving sustainability, accessing funding opportunities and increasing competitiveness. Participants will also learn about the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) grant ...

Broadway shows, community programs highlight upcoming schedule

UNIVERSITY PARK — The Penn State Center for the Performing Arts has announced its 2026-27 season, featuring Broadway productions, dance, classical music, jazz and community engagement programs. The season includes performances by artists from six continents and features productions such as ...

More broadband money poised to flow into Pa

HARRISBURG — A broadband grant program that the Trump administration abruptly canceled last year can be restored without language that allowed race to be used as a factor in awarding funding, a federal judge has ruled. In a case challenging the program’s termination, U.S. District Judge John Bates agreed with federal officials that the underlying law is unconstitutional, because it allowed grants to be awarded based on “explicit racial classification.” But he also said the program was “perfectly capable” of functioning without this element. “Common sense,” Bates ...

The deadline has passed for second-degree sentencing

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania General Assembly has missed the deadline set for it by the state Supreme Court without passing a legislative solution to the commonwealth’s unconstitutional sentencing scheme for second-degree murder. A killing is considered second-degree murder if it occurs during the course of a violent felony, including robbery, rape, or arson. Someone can be found guilty of the crime if they participated in the underlying felony, even if their actions didn’t lead directly to another person’s death. The court ruled in March that mandatory life without parole ...

Falling gas prices helped keep consumers spending

Inflation fell more than expected in June. That gave consumers some breathing room, and they kept spending – even if they became more selective about where their money went. Homebuilders were less optimistic. Beneath a volatile monthly increase in total housing starts, single-family construction continued to decline. Multifamily construction may be approaching a bottom, but overall homebuilding has fallen back toward its pre-pandemic pace – not nearly enough for a country with a 4.7 million-home housing deficit. Those three reports told a fairly consistent story about the ...