Today in PA | A PennLive daily news briefing with Claudia Dimuro

A recent report shows how nearly 1.9 million Pennsylvanians are on food stamps. A “huge but harmless” spider may be making its way to invade the region. A forest that’s never been harvested is now on a national registry. Finally, a Coatesville native is preparing for blast-off. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A state regulatory commission has approved a measure that will raise pay for those receiving a “tipped minimum wage.” Officials have warned that Pennsylvania’s risk of wildfires may increase over the next few months. The state’s looking to expand its database of historical sites. And a second egg has hatched for an eagle couple in Pittsburgh. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informati...

A newly introduced bill could bar Philadelphia from keeping Social Security benefits meant for foster kids. As temperatures rise, so do the number of ATVs and dirt bikes swarming city streets. This week’s weather could involve rain. And the niece of a World War II veteran receives some long overdue medals on her uncle’s behalf. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Skeletal remains were found beneath a mobile home in Beaver County. Officials are urging residents to remain wary of the still-mysterious illness that killed off dozens of songbirds last year. Pennsylvania has completed more of the Great Eastern Trail than any other state involved. Plus, firefighters rushed to save a dog that was supposedly stuck on a roof. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and op...

License-to-carry applications in Philadelphia nearly hit 70,800 last year. Yet another disturbing TikTok challenge was spotted at a Lehigh Valley high school. Harrisburg is due to get an onslaught of car washes soon. And if you want to see a ghost, Pennsylvania’s the place to be. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Pennsylvania is facing what Attorney General Josh Shapiro is calling a “historic shortage of police.” Thieves across the state and beyond are stealing gasoline from people’s cars. Environmental studies courses are being offered on the Susquehanna River this summer. Plus, a city in Pennsylvania is the number one best spot to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out...

The man suspected of stabbing two employees at the Museum of Modern Art in New York was caught in Philadelphia not too long after he had set his hotel room on fire. Philly police are upping patrols after a series of shootings targeting homeless people were reported in New York and D.C. The 9/11 National Memorial Trail has been designated as a Statewide Major Greenway. And pirate ships will set sai...

Philadelphia police have arrested the man who punched a pregnant woman for not giving up her seat on a bus. A couple managed to shoplift $12,000 worth of goods from Giant. A library system in Pittsburgh got rid of its late fees. Finally, monsters battle in Lancaster. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An organized theft ring that recently hit a Kohl’s and Ulta is suspected of other grab-and-go’s in Lehigh Valley. A Westmoreland County school board voted to keep using traditional holiday names such as Columbus Day over those deemed more inclusive such as Indigenous People’s Day. A part of Gettysburg National Military Park will be temporarily closed for repairs. And an endangered bat native to Pe...

A series of shootings that have occurred in Wilkes-Barre is believed to be connected to a feud between two groups who consider “themselves a gang.” Pennsylvania has joined other states that are calling for a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax as fuel prices hit mind-boggling levels. A local exotic pet store owner saved a chicken from being fed to a bunch of alligators. Plus, one city in P...

A Commonwealth Court panel has upheld a decision that denies zoning approval to build a massive warehouse complex in Dauphin County. A former lawyer in Pittsburgh who once bragged he “thinks like a criminal” just got a five-year prison sentence for dealing drugs. A Fox Chapel library will receive federal funding to help preserve its local families’ history. And out of all the jobs out there, there...

A former West Mifflin superintendent who sued his school district for violating his First Amendment rights will receive nearly $3 million in damages. Small businesses owners all over Pennsylvania are feeling the brunt of spiking gas prices in every aspect of their business (their customers, too). School buses in Pittsburgh may use artificial intelligence to get information on cars that pass them w...

Fed money will be put towards getting access to people in the Pennsylvania’s rural communities. The state has expanded its financial assistance program for medical marijuana patients. Pittsburgh International Airport travelers should take note of this evening’s shutdown of the airport’s trains. And this Pennsylvanian city boasts the second-best Wordle scores in the country. See acast.com/privacy f...

Police have uncovered a “massive mail fraud” ring behind the thefts of checks, cash, and gift cards from outdoor postal boxes. Governor Tom Wolf claims Pennsylvania is in a “very good place” financially speaking, and continues to push for direct payments of up to $2,000 in relief money. Flights from Philadelphia to Europe will continue despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Finally, a man stumbl...

Pennsylvania has joined a nationwide investigation into the effect TikTok has on kids. Penn State has agreed to pay an almost $900,000 settlement over incorrectly submitted health care claims. Gas has hit $4 a gallon. And a familiar face is on the variant cover of an “Avengers” comic (hint: he’s orange). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bucks County has filed a lawsuit against companies they claim have contaminated the area’s soil and water. 911 dispatchers in Allegheny County have authorized a strike on the same day as Pittsburgh’s St. Patty’s Day parade. The hummingbirds are coming! Plus, two former Westmoreland County high school athletes launch a podcast to help those like them feel more grounded in life. See acast.com/privac...

A man walked into a bank in northern Pennsylvania with the intent to rob it, but lost his nerve and ran away instead. The state as a whole is beginning to ease up on masking. A total of three state-owned universities now want to lower their tuitions. And not one place in Pennsylvania managed to breach even the top 50 “happiest cities in America.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out infor...

The salaries of roughly 14 percent of Pennsylvania’s state government employees hit the six-figure mark last year. One lawmaker wants to privatize Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor system. One grocery store has become the first in the U.S. to launch its own beef program. Finally, a WWII veteran in Berks County celebrates his 100th birthday. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

SEPTA recently gave the green light to a program that would replace private security guards with “guides.” The clinical trial for a potential cure for HIV that was developed by a team at Temple University has begun. Now, for Giant curbside orders, the minimum limit (and pickup fee) does not exist. And Monopoly gets the Pittsburgh treatment. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information...

Philadelphia residents will get the chance to vote on a couple of bills recently approved by the City Council that would remove gendered language from Philly’s governing document. An Amish man pulled over for DUI after “recklessly” driving a buggy told cops he only “had a couple of beers.” A company in Pittsburgh wants to use drones to evaluate infrastructure. Finally, part of I-81 was temporarily...

A police union in Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit which seeks to invalidate the city’s recent ban on officers pulling drivers over for low-level infractions. Allentown’s mostly century-old stormwater system is finally getting a modern update. Sorry, but the weather’s going back to its winter-like conditions for the rest of the week. And this DeSales student sure knows how to kick axe. See acast.c...

An investigation found that some cannabis companies in Pennsylvania are making misleading and potentially dangerous claims about their products. One state senator believes suspending the sales tax would help consumers struggling with inflation. The majority of parks in Pittsburgh are now dropping their speed limit to 15 mph. Finally, Hersheypark’s got a couple of new rides opening this summer. See...

A district attorney wants the death penalty for a couple whose baby was found dead inside a wall last year. Pedestrian fatalities have spiked across the country, with cities like Philadelphia struggling to combat the issue. Philadelphia may be the first city in the U.S. to run its own bank. And here are some early signs of spring you can keep an eye out for. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and o...

Today’s the day the wife of a former Pittsburgh-area nuclear engineer will admit to her role in trying to sell Navy secrets to a foreign power. Penn State revealed its looking to increase the cost of room and board not even two weeks after Governor Tom Wolf proposed an increase in funding for the university. Did you know there’s currently $4 billion worth of unclaimed property sitting in a vault i...

The head of Pennsylvania’s Department of Aging is staying mum about the fate of three elderly people whose cases were being handled by an agency in Philadelphia. The number of state wildfires were down last year, but they’re still well above the average number seen between 2000 and 2019. Pennsylvanians sure bet a lot on this year’s Super Bowl. And a woman got to meet the man her kidney now belongs...