>>Officials Addressing Teacher Shortage At Pennsylvania Summit
(Dauphin County, PA) -- Local and state education leaders are gathering to address the statewide teacher shortage. The Pennsylvania Teaching and Technical Assistance Network met yesterday, hoping to come up with solutions. Teacher shortages are impacting lower-income districts, which officials agree is partly due to the state's school funding formula. One major concern among education officials is the disproportionate distribution of property taxes to more well-to-do districts.
>>Pink Energy Employees Laid Off As Company Shuts Its Doors
(Harrisburg, PA) -- Harrisburg-based Pink Energy is shutting down. In a company-wide memo sent earlier this week, employees were notified that the solar panel company would be closing and that "all employment is terminated." The Better Business Bureau has confirmed the company is closing, effective immediately. There have been multiple complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau from customers saying they never received solar panels they'd paid for.
>>Major Pennsylvania Grocer Gets Rid Of Plastic Bags
(Dauphin County, PA) -- Wegmans is banning plastic grocery bags. Customers will now have the option to use reusable bags or pay five cents per paper bag. Proceeds will go to local food banks. All 18 Wegmans stores in the state have banned plastic bags and the company says reusable bag usage is up 80-percent since getting rid of plastic bags in other states.
>>Harrisburg Daycare Expanding To Make Room For More Kids
(Harrisburg, PA) -- Best Friends Day Care is expanding in downtown Harrisburg. The day care's Strawberry Square location just opened its new infant room. Officials were on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday afternoon. The expansion brings the size of the daycare up to ten-thousand square feet, increasing total enrollment to 135 children.
>>York Still Considering Buying The Former Dentsply Campus
(York, PA) -- The City of York has big plans for the former Dentsply campus. City council still has to vote on whether or not to spend four-million dollars for the land. A special meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday to consider a letter of intent to purchase the campus. The initial purchase of the land was delayed.
>>Digital Licenses Could Be Coming Soon To Pennsylvania
(Harrisburg, PA) -- Your new Pennsylvania driver's license could be available on your cell phone soon. PennDOT authorities are exploring the idea that would be a major step in digitizing more of residents' daily lives. There's no timeline for when it might happen, as PennDOT says they are still in the early stages of development. The digital license feature has already been rolled out in ten states across the U.S.
>>Single Motorcycle Crash Leaves 33-Year-Old Man Dead In York County
(York County, PA) -- One man is dead after a motorcycle crash in York County Thursday afternoon. The accident happened just before 5 p.m. in Lower Chanceford Township. According to the coroner's office report, the 33-year-old motorcycle operator was riding south on Woodbine Road before he lost control of the bike near the Church Road intersection and crashed. He was taken to WellSpan York Hospital where he later died.
>>Sponsor Of PA's "Don't Say Gay" Bill Calls It More Expansive
(Harrisburg, PA) -- One state lawmaker is spearheading a so-called "don't say gay" bill in Pennsylvania. Clinton County's state representative Stephanie Borowicz is the prime sponsor of the proposed legislation that mirrors many parts of the controversial Florida law limiting sex education in schools. Borowicz, however, calls the Pennsylvania version "more expansive" than the Florida bill. Opponents of the bill say, just like Florida's version, the language of the bill is intentionally vague meant to stifle any positive discussion of LGBTQ culture.
>>Much Of Former Supermarket Preserved Where Adams County Apartments Will Go
(East Berlin Borough, PA) -- A 40-unit apartment complex is going into the vacant former Nell's supermarket in East Berlin Borough. The property in Adams County has gone unused for the past 14 years. Developers say they have preserved as much of the former property as they could but have torn down what was once the front of the supermarket to put up a courtyard. The apartments will be for residents 55-years-old and up.
>>New Weis Ice Cream Made To Benefit Breast Cancer Research And Support
(York, PA) -- Weis Markets is launching a limited-edition ice cream flavor to benefit breast cancer awareness. $10,000 in proceeds from new Pink Peppermint Patty ice cream will go directly to the PA Breast Cancer Coalition. The local grocery chain says they have long supported causes that advance the health of the communities they live and work in. The new flavor will be unveiled Monday for a limited time only.
>>Suspect In 1975 Homicide Will Stand Trial
(Lancaster County, PA) -- The suspect in a 47-year-old homicide case will stand trial. That order came yesterday for 68-year-old David Sinopoli. Authorities say that Sinopoli is guilty of the stabbing death of 19-year-old Lindy Sue Biechler. The 1975 killing has been Lancaster County's oldest cold case. Sinopoli was arrested in connection with the crime in July of this year and remains in custody.
>>NY Man Charged With Kidnapping Reading Teen
(Reading, PA) -- A New York man accused of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend's daughter last month has been indicted on federal charges. According to investigators, on August 31st, Duane Taylor kidnapped the 13-year-old girl from her Reading home and held her in his Brooklyn residence. The teen was rescued when someone called emergency dispatchers to report a girl asking for help. If convicted, Taylor could spend the rest of his life in prison.
>>Pennsylvania Changing Eligibility Requirements For Food Stamps
(Harrisburg, PA) -- The State of Pennsylvania will soon change the eligibility requirement for households to receive food stamps. Governor Tom Wolf's administration yesterday announced that, starting in October, the threshold for receiving assistance will change to 200% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. That means an estimated 174,000 more families will qualify. Food assistance is paid for by the federal government, but individual states determine the eligibility requirements for the aid.
>>State Police Investigating Woman's 1984 Disappearance
(Lancaster County, PA) -- State police are putting focus this week on a woman who vanished in the 80s. Twenty-five-year-old Mary Ann Bagentose was last heard from in 1984 when she told her mother that she was going with her estranged husband to look at a car that was for sale but he later reported that when he arrived at the Lancaster County home, she wasn't ready to go. He says he left and that when he came back, she was gone. Anyone with information on her disappearance is asked to call police.
>>Allen High School Student Who Had Loaded Gun Sent To Juvenile Facility
(Allentown, PA) -- An Allen High School student who was found with a loaded gun is now committed to a juvenile facility. The 14-year-old appeared in court yesterday, admitting to a list of charges, including one felony firearms count. Allentown police say GPS information from the juvenile's ankle monitor places him at West Park at the time of a shots fired call on September 15th. The teen ran into the school following the gunshots, according to authorities, leading to the school lockdowns and his arrest.