>Police Commissioner Now Active Mayor Due to Minor Medical Procedure
(Harrisburg, PA) -- The police commissioner in Harrisburg is now acting as mayor for a few weeks. A news release from the city says Mayor Wanda Williams has temporarily transferred power to Commissioner Thomas Carter due to an outpatient procedure. The power transfer happened Sunday night and will remain in effect until August 16th. The nature of Williams' procedure was not released.
>>Three Third-Party Candidates Make Deadline To Run For Office In Pennsylvania
(Harrisburg, PA) -- State election officials say three third-party candidates have filed to run for office in Pennsylvania for the November 8th general election ballot. Candidates from the Libertarian Party, the Green Party and the Keystone party all have provided officials with enough signatures to run for governor and the U.S. Senate. Political watchdogs say the third-party candidates could make a difference in the final voting outcome for the major party candidates.
>>Low-Income Housing Residents to Get Supplemental Payments
(Harrisburg, PA) -- State officials say residents who are part of certain low-income energy assistance programs will soon be getting more money from the state. The supplemental payments apply to Pennsylvanians who take part in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The payments will be sent to the eligible household to help pay any current bills to their utility providers. Most homes will receive a 250-dollar cash supplement.
>>Woman, Children's Deaths on Tractor Pull Ruled Accidental
(York County, PA) -- State officials say the deaths of a woman and three children who were riding on a trailer Friday have been ruled accidental. State police in York County say the farm tractor was pulling a utility trailer with a dozen people, many of them who were children, when the trailer went over an embankment Friday morning in Lower Chanceford. A woman, her two children and one other child were pronounced dead at the scene. Others, including the man driving the trailer, were taken to local hospitals for treatment.
>>Crews Hope to Have Giant Tree Removed in Next Few Days
(Harrisburg, PA) -- Crews have begun work Monday to bring down a giant tree in Midtown Harrisburg. A 100-ton crane arrived early Monday morning to help with removal of the 80-year-old tree. City engineers say the roots and branches are covering multiple buildings around Clinton, Green, Penn and Harris Streets. They're also interfering with utility lines in the area. Officials say people living in the area can expect power outages Monday and Tuesday.
>>Measure Would Extend Law To Prevent Convicted People From Holding Office
(Lewisburg, PA) -- A bill is gaining momentum in Pennsylvania that would bar people convicted of domestic violence from holding office. The state's constitution currently prohibits people convicted of embezzlement of public money, bribery, and perjury from serving in the General Assembly. But State Representative Scott Conklin's House Bill 2596 would explicitly make domestic violence convictions a disqualifying offense. That would extend to any public office in state government.
>>State's Medical Marijuana Advisory Board Has New Leader
(Harrisburg, PA) -- The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Advisory Board has new leadership. A gathering of the board late last week was the first with its new chair Dr. Denise Johnson, who is also acting secretary of the Department of Health. Johnson, a former western Pennsylvania doctor and chief medical officer, had been a member of the advisory board as physician general. She became chair when Keara Klinepeter left the post earlier this year.
>>Coroner IDs Harrisburg Man Killed In Chicken House Collapse
(Gettysburg, PA) -- The Adams County Coroner's Office has released the name of a man who was killed when a burning chicken coop collapsed on him. Jose Rojas-Flores, who was 53 and from Harrisburg, was one of eight people inside the coop in the 300 block of Spicer Road in Gettysburg when it collapsed Friday morning. Pennsylvania State Police says Hillandale Farms owned the chicken house and hired Rojas-Flores and others to demolish the building the day it fell in. It remains unclear what caused the collapse.
>>Harrisburg Mall Owners Will Soon Tear Down Old Movie Theater
(Swatara Township, PA) -- The real estate company that owns Harrisburg Mall in Swatara Township says they plan to destroy the old movie theater at the shopping center soon. The mall received a permit a few months ago to demolish the theater except for the platform, Swatara Township Zoning Officer Robert Ihlein says they want to keep the platform intact because there's a parking beneath it. He says the mall wants that to stay in place as they prepare for new, potential tenants.
>>Debt for $1.475 Million May be Forgiven for Reading Housing Authority
(Reading, PA) -- City officials in Reading will decide soon whether to forgive nearly a million-and-a-half dollars in debt to the Reading Housing Authority. The issue is set for a vote by the City Council next Monday night. The Reading Housing Authority has asked that remaining funds on an old loan, which were extended to the original owner of River Oak Apartments, be forgiven. The authority says that's needed so that they can get a loan to make needed repairs to the 72 apartment units.
>>Erie Lawyer to be New Berks Co. Courts Administrator
(Reading, PA) -- The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has appointed Julia E. Bagnoni, an attorney from Erie, to serve as the Berks County District Court administrator. President Judge Thomas G. Parisi made the announcement Monday. Stephen Weber is retiring from the job after a 46-year career with the county. Bagnoni's first day will be August 15th.
>>Tar Spots Begin to Show on Local Crops
(Lancaster County, PA) -- Area farmers are concerned that the first tar spots of the season have been seen on local crops in Lancaster County. The corn fungus that has wreaked havoc in the Midwest is spread by wind or rain splashing it up from the soil. Leaves of infected plants prematurely die when severity is around 30 percent or more.
>>Lancaster Girl Accepted into U.S. Space Force
(Lancaster Co., PA) -- A young woman who faced huge scholastic setbacks from the pandemic is now preparing to go to the United States Space Force. Gabrielle Rappa credits Conestoga Valley High School teacher Katie Fake with motivating her during her senior year. Rappa says her junior year, she didn't want to learn online, and her grade-point average was zero point nine. Her GPA her senior year was three point three. The United States Space Force was established in 2019 to protect U.S. and allied interest in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint forces.
>>National Night Out Marked in Manheim
(Manheim Township, PA) -- The police department in Manheim township will be observing National Night out Tuesday with a summer social. Officials from the department say the event is family-friendly for the whole community to enjoy. They'll offer yard games, kickball, and other sports, plus there'll be a music DJ, an ice cream truck and other refreshments. It starts at Community Park at 5:30 p.m. and will last until 8:00 p.m.
>>Woman Accused of Driving Stolen Semi-Trailer, Causing Utility Outage
(Williamsport, PA) -- A 26-year-old Michigan semi-truck driver has been jailed for pulling a suspected stolen trailer and striking several utility poles in Milton. Several people in the area reportedly lost power. Police say Chelsea Johnson of Ypsilanti, Michigan told police she was looking for a way to get back on Interstate 80 and didn't know she'd hit the poles. Police say she wasn't able to give them registration or inspection documents for the trailer, which had been reported stolen out of Ohio. Johnson was taken into custody early Monday morning.
>>Cause of Fire Announced in Jim's Steak Blaze
(Philadelphia, PA) -- Fire officials have announced what caused a massive blaze at Jim's Steaks late last week. Authorities said that electrical wiring is to blame for starting the fire last Friday morning. Officials didn't provide what exactly went wrong with the wiring. Everyone made it out safely.