Free Republic

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Newly elected Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is imposing a moratorium on the death penalty. He calls the state's current system of capital punishment "error-prone, expensive and anything but infallible." The Democrat had announced during his fall campaign he intended to issue such an order. Wolf said Friday the moratorium will remain in effect at least until he receives a report from a legislative commission that's been studying the topic for about four years.

READING, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police say a trooper fatally shot a man while serving an arrest warrant at a Reading row home. Police say the man resisted arrest before the trooper opened fire about 4 a.m. Friday. A neighbor tells the Reading Eagle he saw police in SWAT gear and heard shouting, a loud explosion and five or six gunshots. The trooper is a member of the state police's Special Emergency Response Team. The unit had been called in to assist Berks County detectives in serving the warrant. Police say the warrant was for the man who was shot....

Raymond Ventrone figured there had to be a better way to get people to surrender guns than offering “a few hundred dollars or a Giant Eagle gift card.” “I've never thought that was much incentive to turn a gun in for guys who make $2,000 or $3,000 a week selling drugs,” he said. “Let's go a step further and offer them a career.” Ventrone, business manager of Boilermakers Local 154 in Banksville, convinced his union to partner with Pittsburgh and Allegheny County police departments to establish a “Guns for Opportunity” program that offers anyone who turns in a gun the...

Court Nixes Faith-Based Birth Control Mandate Challenge JOE MANDAK Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh answers questions after a news conference in Pittsburgh. Zubik responded on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015, to a federal appeals court decision that reversed lower court victories that challenged birth control coverage mandates as part of federal health care reforms. Zubik said that the church is no longer free to practice what it preaches. . PITTSBURGH (AP) — An appeals court has ruled that the birth control coverage required by federal health care reforms does not violate the rights of several religious groups...

MONESSEN, Pa. (AP) - Parents in a Pennsylvania school district are turning 50 shades of red over word search puzzles given to middle school students based on an erotic novel and movie. The students in Monessen were given puzzles based on "Fifty Shades of Grey" that contained terms including "spanking," ''submissive," ''leather cuffs" and "bondage." Other words on the list were more explicit. Parent James Carter complained about it at Tuesday night's school board meeting, saying he tried to question the school's principal and dean of students, but they refused to talk when he insisted on recording their conversation. "I...

Philadelphia has been chosen as the host of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, party officials announced Thursday. The decision is a huge disappointment for New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio had made a major effort to land the convention for Brooklyn. The city had put together a rich financial package to lure the Democratic National Committee.

After new pro-gun signs were vandalized in Conoy Township, leaders hope to sell similar ones to benefit local nonprofits.

Gov. Tom Wolf outlined his proposal for a 5 percent severance tax on natural gas production, most of the proceeds of which will go toward education funding. "It's not like this is out of the blue," he said, in a speech from a Chester County elementary school. "We're the only state in the union with natural resources without a severance tax." The tax, which Wolf said was modeled after one in place in West Virginia, was a key component of his gubernatorial campaign.

Licensing regulations reduce economic freedom by creating barriers to market entry. For example, in my current home of Philadelphia, bloggers are required to obtain a $300 permit from the city. Blogging is by no means a lucrative business. In fact, an estimated 80% of bloggers will never make more than $100 from their work. A city official ironically says Philadelphia “loves the self-employed”. These permit-happy bureaucrats fail to grasp basic economics: occupational licensing can be detrimental to the economy.

<p>ALLENTOWN, Pa (AP) — The city of Allentown is repealing sections of its gun ordinance in an effort to avoid being sued under a new Pennsylvania law. The Morning Call of Allentown reported that the city council last Wednesday voted unanimously to overturn a ban on weapons in parks, reverse a prohibition on weapons on city property and end a requirement that people report when their guns are lost or stolen. The city also is adding new language to protect the use of weapons in self-defense and to say the ordinance doesn't apply to lawful hunting and trapping. A state law passed last year gives the National Rifle Association and similar groups the ability to challenge illegal gun laws. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other cities have already been targeted for legal challenges.</p>

Drive into tiny Conoy Township, Pa., and you'll see the standard "welcome" sign, but it also comes with a warning: "THIS IS NOT A GUN FREE ZONE." The signs are meant to alert criminals to the fact that many people in the rural Pennsylvania town of 3,000 are armed. A dozen have been installed so far and three more are slated to go up, which would cover every major road into the town. Officials hope the signs give would-be criminals second thoughts before causing trouble. He said the town’s five supervisors unanimously decided to put the signs up. “These signs...

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say a western Pennsylvania teenager charged in the shooting death of another teen took a selfie with the body and sent it to a friend on social media. The 16-year-old boy is charged with homicide and a firearms count in the death of 16-year-old Ryan Mangan, who was found Wednesday evening in his Jeannette home. Police were contacted by the mother of another boy who said he'd received a photo showing the suspect with the victim after he'd been shot, and also received text messages from the suspect saying "Told you I cleaned up the...

HARRISBURG — The president of Planned Parenthood pointed to the recent election of Gov. Tom Wolf as a good sign for advocates for women’s reproductive choice, calling Mr. Wolf “the first governor in the history of the country who was also a former Planned Parenthood clinic escort.” Speaking Friday evening in Harrisburg, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, was speaking at the Pennsylvania Progressive Summit in Harrisburg, a gathering of left-leaning activists and elected officials. “It’s pretty darn exciting to see a state where you actually bucked the national trend,” she said to the crowd, referring to...

Aaron Klein’s a long way from Rhawnhurst. A well-known, hawkish Middle East correspondent and author based in Tel Aviv, he’s developed broadcast chops that will result in him being heard in his hometown starting Sunday at 7 p.m. on WNTP/990-AM. The two-hour show, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio,” is just that, his investigative work, buttressed by interviews with politicians and terrorists. Real terrorists, but more of that in a moment.

A 16-year-old accused murdered was caught after taking a selfie next to the dead body, police said. "I've never seen it before," 30-year Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It was a key piece of evidence that led investigators to the defendant." Authorities received the selfie Maxwell Marion Morton took next to the body of Jeannette High School classmate Ryan Mangan in the victim's home. Morton was charged Friday with first-degree murder, homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor, the newspaper reported. He will be charged as an adult. Mangan was shot in the...

We to Monroville Mall about an hour ago. There were three ambulances and a few cops cars outside one of the Macy's entrances....I parked at an adjacent Macy's entrance. As I put the car in park and grabbed my purse, I noticed large numbers of people streaming from all the exits in my view, and the cars around mine suddenly came to live & drove off. I got my 7 year old out and was heading inside when a nice, older blonde lady with broken English said "don't go in....they shoot". As soon as we returned to the car, massive...

Colorado lawmakers rejected a proposal to give dying patients the option to seek doctors’ help ending their lives, concluding a long day of emotional testimony from more than 100 people.For one lawmaker who voted no, the issue was personal. Tearfully telling her colleagues she was a cancer survivor, Democratic Rep. Dianne Primavera recalled how a doctor told her she wouldn’t live more than five years. But she found a doctor who gave her a different opinion. […] A House committee considering the bill voted 8-5 against it after dozens of people with serious illnesses and others who have seen relatives...

Pope Francis will address a joint meeting of the House and Senate on Sept. 24, becoming the first pontiff to do so, House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday. "We're humbled that the Holy Father has accepted our invitation and certainly look forward to receiving his message on behalf of the American people," Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters. Boehner is Catholic and extended the invitation for the pope to speak to lawmakers. During his planned trip next fall, Francis is also expected to visit the White House as well as speak at the United Nations in New York and participate in a...

Illinois still lays claim to the worst recession recovery in the nation. According to the BLS household survey, there are still 216,000 fewer Illinoisans working than when the Great Recession began, the worst of any state and one of only 22 states that still have fewer people working than when the recession started. .... The business-establishment survey for the 2008-2014 period shows 114,000 fewer payroll jobs in Illinois than when the recession began, the second-worst record of any state, and one of only 15 states yet to break even on the recession. Only New Jersey is down more payroll jobs....

Taking the advice of Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Allentown City Council unanimously voted to repeal some of its firearms ordinances to comply with a new Pennsylvania law Wednesday night. The city faced a lawsuit by the Lehigh Valley Tea Party if it did not repeal those gun laws, because that new state law allows organizations to sue municipalities. The city repealed its gun laws so it would not be sued.