Whitney Downard, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Latest from Whitney Downard, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
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Senators urge House to adopt bell-to-bell cell phone ban in Pa. schools
A bipartisan proposal for a student cell phone ban in Pennsylvania’s public and private schools advanced to the House this week with Gov. Josh Shapiro’s backing.
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Bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers looks to incentivize ‘pro-housing’ communities
A key area of reform would be pushing local governments to adopt “pro-housing” stances.
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Pa. Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity endorses Jason Richey as running mate
Richey ran for governor in 2022, dropping out a few months before the Republican primary. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he has served as the chair of the Allegheny County GOP for roughly one year.
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ICE pushback in a key Pa. congressional district after unpaid rent allegation
Controller Mark Pinsley said the agency hasn’t paid for space it rents in a Lehigh County government building.
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Mental health in the Pennsylvania Farm Show spotlight as feds abruptly terminate grant funding
Farmer suicide rates are significantly higher than the rates for the overall population.
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Republican Stacy Garrity’s first campaign speech of 2026 was all about Gov. Josh Shapiro
The frontrunner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination mentioned the sitting governor by name at least 30 times.
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Pa. Pennie enrollment drops as Congress wrestles with health insurance subsidy vote
Thousands of Pennsylvanians have left the state’s only Affordable Care Act marketplace, Pennie, following sharp increases in monthly premiums due to expiring enhanced federal subsidies.
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Sen. Doug Mastriano opts out of Pa. gubernatorial run in 2026
The Franklin County Republican ran against now-Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2022 and was resoundingly defeated. He didn’t endorse state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, saying “we’ll talk about that down the road.” She won the party’s nomination in September.
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New overdose reporting requirements for Pennsylvania EMS
In 2023, 4,719 Pennsylvanians died from an overdose and there were 37,371 nonfatal suspected overdoses.
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Paris stepping down as Pennsylvania State Police commissioner
Paris’ last day as commissioner will be Jan. 2, 2026, marking the end of a 26-year career with the state police. He was nominated by Gov. Josh Shapiro on Jan. 19, 2023, and unanimously confirmed by the state Senate almost two months later.
