News

Multiple chatbots pose as doctors

HARRISBURG — Chatbots on five different websites claimed to be licensed to practice medicine in the commonwealth when prompted by Spotlight PA — the same kind of output that led the Shapiro administration to file a lawsuit last month. A task force under Pennsylvania’s Department of State has been working since February to identify AI chatbots posing as licensed professionals and misleading users. Based on that work, the administration filed suit against the role-playing site Character.AI. Mirroring the investigation detailed in the Department of State’s lawsuit, Spotlight PA ...

Constables hope to find many missing children in immigration search effort

After months of Congress stalling on funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and administrative changes, Pennsylvania state constables who’ve signed agreements to support federal law enforcement and potentially thousands of missing noncitizen children are ready to get to work. On Friday, the U.S. Senate passed a $70 billion funding bill to support ICE and others border security operations, which includes funding to find hundreds of thousands of missing children. “Pennsylvania State Constables are the best asset in the commonwealth to assist Immigration and Customs ...

Helping older adults

Calendar

The Sentinel offers nonprofit and other community organizations an opportunity to promote upcoming events for free in the community calendar for three days before the event. Events requiring reservations may be promoted for up to two weeks before the reservation deadline. Events that require a purchase from a for-profit business, even if a donation is made to the organization, are not eligible for the calendar. Please be brief and include only basic details. If possible, provide a phone number or email address to be published with contact information. Submit items at least one week ...

Lewistown man charged in child exploitation case

LEWISTOWN — A Lewistown man is facing nearly 30 felony charges after an investigation by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Section and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force allegedly uncovered child sexual abuse material stored in online accounts linked to him. David Curtis Domain Jr., 45, was arraigned June 3 with 26 counts of child sexual abuse material and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. Court records show seven of the child sexual abuse material charges are second-degree felonies, while 19 are third-degree ...

Council members reconsider vote on letter of intent

LEWISTOWN — The Lewistown Borough Council rejected Downtown Lewistown Inc. Executive Director Jim Zubler’s request for a letter of intent in support of designating Lewistown as a creative district on Monday. According to a press release from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the arts council’s Pennsylvania Creative Industries launched the Pennsylvania Creative Districts program to support communities in elevating creative assets and strengthening local economies. The press release stated that communities with the creative district designation receive up to $50,000 in ...