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Lifetime York County resident and former Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf sold his house in central Pennsylvania and plans to move to Philadelphia with his wife, according to a local report. Wolf and his wife sold their Mount Wolf home and will move into a Philadelphia apartment, according to the York Daily Record. “I spent 75 years in York County, and I love this place. So many wonderful memories,” Wolf told the York Daily Record Thursday. Mount Wolf was named after Wolf’s ancestor, Adam Wolf. The Wolf family ultimately decided to move so they could be closer to their children and...

When Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services announced in 2019 that Polk and White Haven Centers, two large state-operated institutions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, would close by November 2022—claiming that moving residents to “community-based settings” would better honor their “inherent worth and dignity”—it spelled the end of two campuses that had housed the intellectually and developmentally disabled for more than 50 years. It also sparked a political fight between disability-rights activists, who hailed the closures as a step toward full inclusion for people with disabilities, and many residents and their families, who feared losing what they considered their...

Pennsylvania Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf is pushing state legislators to pass a bill that would send checks up to $2,000 to households with income under $80,000.

Gov. Tom Wolf is calling on policymakers to “be open to the things that work” to address gun violence “but we cannot ignore the elephant in the room and that is guns.” During an interview on Pittsburgh-based KDKA radio on Tuesday morning, Wolf reacted to last week’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and a weekend shooting that killed an 18-month-old Pittsburgh boy saying a combination of measures are what he sees as needed.

About nine in ten COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in Pennsylvania have involved people who are less than fully vaccinated against the virus, according to new data from the state health department. The data regarding deaths is based on 8,949 deaths attributed to COVID-19 between Jan. 1 and Nov. 2 of this year. Only 954 of the deaths, or 11%, involved people who are fully vaccinated, the state said. The state defines fully vaccinated people as having the full regimen of doses, usually two, and having passed the two weeks after the final dose needed for full protection. The state also...

Amid some encouraging news that Pennsylvania’s rate of new COVID-19 cases appears to be leveling off, Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday once again drew attention to persistent COVID-19 related health disparities among minority communities. Wolf used the backdrop of one of the region’s largest providers of health care to impoverished communities to once again urge ethnic and racial minorities to get vaccinated. “This is a sales pitch,” said Wolf during a press conference held at the Hamilton Health Center in Harrisburg. The center provides care for more than 20,000 underserved central Pennsylvania residents, the majority of them Black or Latino....

School administrators have faced hostility from some parents and residents after Pennsylvania’s mask order for schools took effect last month. This week, the Pennsylvania Principals Association released a survey indicating the intense backlash they are encountering from parents who oppose the statewide mask order. The survey found 44% of the principals who responded said they were threatened “by a parent, student, or community member as a result of the mask mandate.” The survey included responses from 449 members. Dr. Eric Eshbach, executive director of the Pennsylvania Principals Association, said some of the threats didn’t necessarily indicate violence. Some parents have...

Gov. Tom Wolf has been clear: No changing Pennsylvania’s voter ID rules. Any election legislation with new ID requirements is a nonstarter, he and his office said repeatedly as Republican state lawmakers proposed and passed an election overhaul that he vetoed last month. But in a shift, Wolf now says he’s open to some stricter ID rules, including requiring ID for mail voting. The reason he previously drew a red line, he said, is because he didn’t trust that Republicans would negotiate in good faith and believed they were only interested in voter suppression. “I’m sure out there is a...

On Monday, Governor Tom Wolf posted on his Facebook page the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The RGGI is a cooperative effort to cap and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector. Other states include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.

This report is part of an investigative series looking into reported corruption in family courts and the judiciary. For the rest of the investigation visit the catalog here. Joanne Van Saun, the former director of the Luzerne County, Pa., Children and Youth Services was slapped into handcuffs over an alleged coverup that involved an extensive backlog of child abuse reports in her office, with reports being tossed in the trash instead of investigated. The Attorney General’s office of Pennsylvania released a statement about the arrest... Some of the allegations of abuse that went uninvestigated were shocking and included witness statements...

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) on Wednesday vetoed an election integrity bill that would have implemented a number of election safeguards, such as voter ID, in the Keystone State. Wolf rejected the measure, HB 1300, contending it advances forms of voter suppression. “This bill is ultimately not about improving access to voting or election security but about restricting the freedom to vote,” Wolf asserted in a memo detailing his rejection.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has signed a renewal of the state’s disaster order related to the coronavirus pandemic. The governor announced the renewal Thursday afternoon, just two days after voters approved two measures to curb his powers in disasters. The previous COVID-19 disaster order expired today. More: Pa. voters say yes to restricting governor’s powers during emergencies “COVID-19 vaccinations have increased dramatically in recent weeks and we are making significant progress in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Wolf said in a statement. “As previously announced, we are lifting all mitigation measures on Memorial Day, but we need...

'So, you would think if COVID was as contagious as they say, it would go through like a tsunami; and it did,' said Allen Hoover, an Old Order Mennonite and administrator of the Parochial Medical Center, a clinic that primarily serves the Plain community. Public health officials and epidemiologists did not dispute the widespread outbreak Hoover described. But they voiced concern that a misplaced perception of herd immunity in a population that makes up 8 per cent of Lancaster County may compromise the effort to turn the tide on the pandemic. As Hoover observed, faith in herd immunity has prompted...

Once again, Pennsylvania lags behind other states, as we see more and more mask mandates lifted and indoor dining capacities increased. It is time for us to follow suit and begin to reopen our economy. It has been a year since the COVID pandemic brought things to a halt across the nation and the world. We have learned a lot throughout that year, but we have also seen a great deal of hardships imposed that have negatively impacted small businesses and in turn, individuals, families, and our overall economy. To quote Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, “We know what we need...

Frustrated by a lack of timeline for reopening, event professionals in Pennsylvania are urging Gov. Tom Wolf to ease COVID-19 mitigation restrictions for private events and weddings. The Private Event Professionals of Pennsylvania along with the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association and the Philadelphia/South Jersey/Delaware chapter of the National Association for Catering and Events said they are advocating for the safe reopening of the wedding industry. The groups want to see the event industry reopen at 50% capacity effective immediately with plans for how to reach 100% operating levels. They launched LetPAMarryUs.com, a site designed to “save Pennsylvania weddings.” The...

The good news is Pennsylvania no longer sits among the bottom-dwelling states in vaccinating people against COVID-19. The bad news is Pennsylvania is still Pennsylvania. This means that even at its best and no matter the issue, it’s hanging around or just below the middle of states. This week, for example, 28 states have vaccinated higher percentages of their populations. But there used to be 38. So, we’re making progress in climbing toward mediocrity. Meanwhile, Gov. Tom Wolf chants his mantra: “We need to do better.” You’ll be happy to know he’s tapped a bipartisan legislative task force to work...

Gov. Tom Wolf issued this statement Wednesday afternoon condemning the violence in Washington, D.C.: “Today, President Trump’s supporters attempted a coup. This was the direct result of a deliberate disinformation campaign by Republicans from the President down to legislators in Pennsylvania. They lied about the results of the election. They lied about voter fraud. They lied about my administration and other governors. They lied about the administration of the election here in Pennsylvania and across the country. On November 3, we had a remarkably well-run election despite historic challenges. “Eight of the nine Republican members of Congress from Pennsylvania lied...

Come 8 a.m. Monday, restaurants and bars can reopen for indoor dining at a quarter or half of their occupancy. Bowling alleys, hair salons, museums and casinos can open their doors up to 50% capacity. And other in-person businesses can operate up to 75% capacity. Hearing that Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Wednesday he is lifting these stricter time-limited COVID-19 mitigation orders he first imposed on Dec. 12 is a relief to hard-hit businesses across the commonwealth. Wolf said his decision to not extend those orders and returning to the ones in place as of Dec. 11 is based on...

Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday that he will lift some temporary restrictions on Pennsylvania businesses, including a suspension of indoor dining at restaurants, on Jan. 4. The news conference comes days before restrictions the governor has imposed on businesses are slated to expire. Wolf said those measures will indeed end on the scheduled expiration date of Jan. 4. Earlier this month, Wolf imposed temporary restrictions on businesses, including a three-week ban on indoor dining at restaurants. Wolf also has ordered the closure of entertainment venues, including casinos, theaters and concert halls. Retailers and most other businesses are restricted to 50%...

More Pennsylvania restaurants are getting dinged for defying Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-19 mitigation orders. As part of its latest round of inspections, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced it has ordered 33 restaurants to close for allowing patrons to eat indoors. The inspections took place Dec. 21-27. Under the governor’s latest mandate, restaurants are not permitted to serve patrons indoors for three weeks ending Jan. 4. In addition, restaurants must continue to follow rules requiring employees to wear masks, while they offer carryout and takeout and serve diners outdoors. Restaurants ordered to close include Denny’s Lennies Restaurant in Halifax, Villa...