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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 ...

Labor leader, council member convicted in Pa. corruption trial

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A powerful Philadelphia labor leader and a city council member were found guilty of conspiracy charges Monday in a corruption trial. Prosecutors said John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty kept Bobby Henon, a union electrician-turned-Philadelphia City Council member, on the payroll to help his union keep a tight grip on construction jobs. Their convictions follow a lengthy FBI investigation of activities within the chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers that Dougherty leads, but will not mark the end of Dougherty’s legal woes. Dougherty, ...

Lottery needs broader authority to look for fraud

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s auditor general said Monday that lawmakers should give the state lottery broader legal authority to investigate frequent and repeated winning claims by individual lottery players to prevent fraud. The recommendation to lawmakers by Auditor General Tim DeFoor, the state’s independently elected fiscal watchdog, was part of a performance audit that looked at various aspects of the Pennsylvania Lottery. The Pennsylvania Lottery, one of the nation’s largest in sales, reported a record high $5.3 billion in sales in the 2020-21 fiscal year and $1.3 ...

Top state senator emphasizes experience in run for governor

HARRISBURG (AP) — Jake Corman, the newest entrant to the crowded Republican gubernatorial field, said Monday that he will set himself apart by emphasizing his ability to break through gridlock and get things done with lawmakers in the institution where he has served for more than two decades. Corman, 57, the Senate’s highest-ranking member as the president pro tempore, confirmed for the first time Monday that he is running for governor. The Republican primary field for governor is double-digits deep, something party officials can’t remember ever confronting in a statewide race ...

Father, daughter survive plane crash in Pennsylvania woods

BEAR CREEK TOWNSHIP (AP) — Personal electronic devices helped lead rescuers to a father and daughter who survived a plane crash in Pennsylvania, authorities said. According to state police, the aircraft had taken off from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport on Sunday night when it went down in a wooded area of Luzerne County. The FAA said the plane had disappeared from radar after a rapid descent. Authorities asked the U.S. Air Force to help with the search and they pinged the 58-year-old dad’s cellphone and 13-year-old daughter’s iPad to locate them. It took ...