Counties are auditing election results to make sure vote totals reflect the will of the voters. It's a key part of the election process before vote totals are certified and officials are sworn into office.  The state Department of Education has revised guidelines for training teachers on culturally-relevant topics.  With the state legislative session winding down, Governor Josh Shapiro’s plan to make the state see green through cannabis taxes is stagnating.  Images that depict the faces of girls with nude bodies have led to the departure of leaders from a private school in Lancaster County, prompted a student protest and triggered a criminal investigation.  Amtrak has wrapped up a  $122 million track replacement project between Harrisburg and Lancaster. What was expected to be a two-year effort ended up being completed in eight months.  The new police chief in a Snyder County community is pledging to rebuild trust and respect.

The state Supreme Court is weighing in on an issue amid ongoing vote counting in the U.S. Senate election between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick.  A judge In Lackawanna County has given final approval to a 65 million dollar class action settlement against Lehigh Valley Health Network. The case involved a data breach that resulted in nude photos of cancer patients ending up on the dark web. The holiday season is here, and odds are good your social calendar is already starting to fill up. But, all those indoor get-togethers when it's chilly lead to an annual bump in cases of COVID, the flu and RSV. An environmental group wants state regulators to tighten water pollution restrictions on a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh. Authorities say two people were taken to hospitals after a small plane struck an unoccupied plane at a Bucks County airport.  NHL referee Mitch Dunning is fully communicative and can move all his extremities following a violent collision with Colorado defenseman Josh Manson in last night’s game at Philadelphia.  Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes has capped a remarkable season by winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award. On Nov. 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. On this day 161 years ago, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg. I recorded a version of the iconic speech several years ago. Here's an assignment: Try reading it aloud yourself....I'll bet your voice catches at the end. They are even more powerful words when spoken and not just read.

A proposed hydroelectric project near the Susquehanna River is still awaiting word from a federal regulator on whether it can move forward. With the arrival of colder weather, Pennsylvanians struggling to pay utility bills will once again be able to apply for assistance.  Starting next year, more older Pennsylvanians can apply for food assistance. New federal guidelines expand who’s eligible for the state’s Senior Food Box Program.  The Lancaster Country Day school will be under new leadership soon. It's parting ways with its head of school, and board president. The moves come in the wake of a lawsuit filed by parents angry at the Manheim Township school’s handling of allegations that a former student used artificial intelligence to generate fake nude images of nearly 50 female classmates. A man has been charged with attempted murder after authorities allege he tried to grab a Montgomery County police officer’s gun from its holster and the weapon went off, wounding the officer. Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell tied a franchise record with six field goals as the Steelers topped Baltimore 18-16 in an AFC North slugfest..

Exhausted election officials have seven million votes to recount in under two weeks. So, what are the next steps for  the U.S. Senate race between Republican Dave McCormick and Democrat Bob Casey that is close enough to trigger the state’s automatic recount law? A group of parents are taking steps to sue the Lancaster Country Day School. The legal action comes in the wake of AI-generated nude images of nearly 50 female students being shared by a classmate. Starting this weekend, Pennsylvania hunters will have more opportunities to bag in-season game. Sad news for roller coaster enthusiasts. Six Flags Entertainment is closing the Kingda Ka roller coaster along with some other attractions at the New Jersey park.  A ban on open burning is now in effect in Franklin County. Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley rushed for 146 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, as the Eagles stretched their lead in the NFC East with a 26-18 win over the Washington Commanders. 

Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race is headed for a recount. As of yesterday, Republican Davide McCormick led Democratic incumbent Bob Casey by about 28,000 votes out of more than 6.9 million ballots counted. A York County business owner is apologizing after a video of him using racial slurs was posted on social media.  The Elizabethtown Area School board  in Lancaster County has introduced two policies prepared by the religious rights law firm -- the Independence Law Center. A Philadelphia judge says the one million dollar voter sweepstakes linked to Elon Musk was allowed to continue through Election Day because prosecutors failed to show it was an illegal lottery.  A Schuylkill County community is debating a familiar issue in Central Pennsylvania -- warehouses. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity’s reelection last week appears to have garnered the largest vote total ever recorded by a candidate for statewide office in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Eagles are putting their five-game winning streak on the line at home tonight against Washington.

PECO has agreed to add solar energy to its mix of sources that generate electricity for customers in southeast Pennsylvania. The company serves more than 4,100 customers in York County. New research sheds light on the impact of Philadelphia’s soda tax on people’s health.  More than 80 new trees have been along downtown Wilkes-Barre’s sidewalks. The plants do more than just add to the city’s curb appeal. They also provide shade and flood control.  The ballot counting in the race for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania between incumbent Democrat Bob Casey and his Republican challenger Dave McCormick is progressing.  Republicans in the state House have turned to a lawmaker from rural Bedford County to be their floor leader for the coming two-year session.  A York-area restaurant owner who was reportedly recorded in a viral video using racist slurs is no longer on the advisory board at Penn State York.

While Philadelphia voters mostly went for Democrat Kamala Harris, Donald Trump did win over some neighborhoods in the city. Winter energy bills in Pennsylvania will likely be the same or less than last year. Is your beloved tree dead on the inside? A Pennsylvania arborist wants to warn the public about “zombie trees” - and what people should do to stop the horde from taking over. Republican David McCormick may be leading Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race, but has not been invited to attend the chamber's orientation for new members this week. A new facility will soon be built on the campus of Penn State Harrisburg. 

Federal climate money is helping Pennsylvania communities transform their downtowns. Pennsylvania will receive about $245 million this year to clean up abandoned mine lands, significantly more than any other state.  Penn State graduate students are looking to unionize. Organizers say they have the needed signatures to move to the next step in the unionization process.   A wildfire in Berks County appears to be mostly under control this morning. Lycoming County could be the home of a juvenile justice center to help troubled youngsters.  Education advocates estimate Pennsylvania is short some 15-thousand teachers statewide. In the face of such a staggering shortfall, many school districts are opting to “grow their own” supply of educators. 

Republican David McCormick has knocked off Pennsylvania's longest serving Democrat in the U.S. Senate -- Bob Casey. Midstate Congressman Scott Perry has survived a challenge, narrowly beating Democrat Janelle Stelson, This is his second win -- since he played a role in then-President Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election. The Centre County Republican Committee plans to file complaints against the county’s board of elections and demand a recount of mail-in ballots.  The FBI, state police and other authorities are investigating bomb threats in a least 32 counties on election day. An estimated 8 percent of Pennsylvanians were born in another country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Hear how immigrant-serving organizations are responding to Donald Trump’s victory. Winter is on the way, and with colder weather comes sicknesses.  People spend more time indoors and that increases the chance to spread viruses. State health officials are encouraging Pennsylvanians to get three vaccines before the holidays. 

Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate contest between Democratic incumbent Bob Casey and Republican challenger David McCormick is still too early to call.  Three Pennsylvania races for the U.S. House remain uncalled by The Associated Press.  In the 10th District, Republican incumbent Scott Perry leads challenger Janelle Stelson. More than 7 million Pennsylvanians cast a ballot in Tuesday's election.  Democrats lost all three statewide row offices and failed to make any gains in the state Senate. As another unseasonably warm day grips Central Pennsylvania, the region is facing a drought watch after record low rainfall. 

Purple Pennsylvania turns red in 2024. Donald Trump is on the verge of clinching the presidency  after winning the commonwealth, putting him just three electoral votes shy of securing his return to the White House. (Today's episode was recorded before the race was called for the former president). U.S. Senator Bob Casey may be Pennsylvania’s best-known politician -- but he has an uphill fight to earn a fourth term. Republican David McCormick led vote counting early this morning by about 100,000 votes, or two percent. The race between incumbent Republican Congressman Scott Perry and Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson is too close to call.  Four other Republican congressmen in Central Pennsylvania have earned re-election. Republicans will hold all three statewide row offices in January.

Today is election day. Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. Poll workers sometimes have to quickly problem-solve to make sure all eligible voters are able to cast a ballot. Counties have backup plans for when issues arise. Pennsylvania voters are deciding whether to keep Democrats in control of the state House and the Republican state Senate’s majority. They will also decide who should be running state offices that prosecute crimes, handle billions in public money and keep a watch on how that money is spent.   Tamper-evident seals, law enforcement, lots of forms and signatures are all tools used in the secure transport of ballots from precincts to elections offices.  York County commissioners are dismissing 354 challenges to overseas voters, decided by unanimous vote Monday afternoon. More than 3,300 challenges remain to be decided in nine other counties across the state. Political campaigns have been consistently using door knocking, emails and phone calls to nudge voters. But, the non-stop text messages have drawn the ire of swing state voters this cycle - especially in Pennsylvania.

Two state senators have challenged the right of U.S. citizens living abroad to cast votes in federal races.  The country’s highest court has sided with Butler County voters whose provisional ballots were challenged by Republicans this past spring.  On the final Sunday of a rollercoaster presidential contest, Republican nominee Donald Trump is asking voters in Pennsylvania again to make him leader of what he falsely claims is a “failed nation.”  Only a handful of races will determine control of the U.S. House. The 10th District race between Republican incumbent Scott Perry and Democratic challenger Janelle Stelson is one of them.  The state Attorney General's office is now working with Berks, Lancaster, Monroe, and York to investigate allegedly fraudulent voter registration forms submitted at the deadline late last month. Carter Walker from Votebeat provides some context to what’s happening.

Elections officials in Lancaster and York counties have identified a large number of improperly filled-out voter registration forms.  Election day is just five days away, but unofficial results likely won’t be known for a day or two. That’s because Pennsylvania voters can cast ballots early, but elections officials can’t start processing them until Election Day. Third-party presidential candidate Cornel West has lost a Supreme Court bid to be included on the presidential ballot in Pennsylvania.  The national and state Republican parties are appealing a state court ruling that would relax the rules for mail ballots.   An elaborate display in a Westmoreland County community's Halloween parade is drawing harsh criticism. It happened in Mount Pleasant Borough and appeared to depict Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in chains, being led by a vehicle. Elon Musk and his super PAC promised Pennsylvania voters 100 dollars if they signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. A Chester County man says he has yet to be paid.

With election day just five days away, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala [Comma-la] Harris is making Pennsylvania a priority for her campaign. She addressed a large crowd at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg yesterday. A judge  has ordered Bucks County to extend its deadline to request a mail ballot until 5:00 p.m tomorrow. A divided Pennsylvania appeals court says the envelopes voters use to send in mail ballots don't need to have been accurately hand-dated.  Investigations into potential fraud related to voter registration applications in Lancaster, York and one other county have become fodder for online misinformation, including from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. In the latest in a series of pre-election day addresses to the public, Secretary of State Al Schmidt says there are those whose goal is to deliberately confuse voters -- causing doubt and distrust in the election system. A Philadelphia judge is set to hold a hearing in the city prosecutor’s bid to shut down Elon Musk’s $1 million dollar-a-day sweepstakes in battleground states. We take a deep dive into the anger over racist comments made over the weekend at a Donald Trump rally in New York that is rippling across Pennsylvania's Latino community. Hear reaction from the Lehigh Valley, which has a large Latino population and is considered a vital voting block in next week’s election. A Delaware County community does not have enough manpower to safely staff its police department overnight. A western Pennsylvania woman is now believed to be the oldest living person in North America. 114 year-old Naomi Whitehead attained that status after Elizabeth Francis of Texas died on Oct. 22. 

A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania's overseas voting rules. The suit was filed by several Pennsylvania Republican Congressmen -- who all voted not to certify the 2020 election. That includes Scott Perry, Dan Meuser and Lloyd Smucker. Counties in Philadelphia’s suburbs are being asked to reject the mail-in ballot applications of hundreds of voters in what the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said are illegal challenges. Former President Donald Trump has told supporters in Allentown his weekend rally that was marked by crude and racist insults was a “lovefest.”  The mayor of the state's fifth largest city is criticizing a racist comment directed at Puerto Ricans at former President Donald Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Having a plan can help voters avoid long lines, prevent mistakes and help fellow citizens.

Republicans are asking the U.S. Supreme Court for an emergency order in Pennsylvania that could result in thousands of votes not being counted in this year’s election.  Some counties will still be counting votes after Election Day -- which is part of the usual process.  Philadelphia’s district attorney is suing to halt Elon Musk’s $1 million giveaway that's part of his political organization’s effort to boost Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.  The investigation into potential voter registration fraud in Lancaster County is progressing, but details are scarce. Mail-in ballots may play a bigger role in this year's election than ever before in Pennsylvania. Despite years of ongoing false claims over the security of mail-in voting by Donald Trump, it's now a key part of the Republican strategy. The Amish are numerous across the state, and yet only a small minority of them vote in elections. They’re being targeted this year in the latest effort to register more of them to vote.  Penn State coach James Franklin isn’t sure if starting quarterback Drew Allar will be ready to play when the Number 3  Nittany Lions host number 4 Ohio State. 

Pennsylvanians are running out of time to vote by mail. The FBI says Russian actors made a widely circulated video falsely depicting mail-in ballots for Donald Trump being destroyed in Bucks County.  The Lancaster County District Attorney’s office is investigating voter registration fraud after it was alerted to numerous suspicious registration forms by the county’s elections office.  An Episcopal priest in Lancaster County is teaching ancient prayer and meditation techniques to survive political turmoil.  The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear plant is laying out a time line for re-opening.  President Joe Biden has marked the sixth anniversary of a gunman’s attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue that killed 11 worshippers. The Ephrata Area School District has received a $50,000 grant -- along with the Eastern York School District and Lancaster STEM Alliance -- to create a new central Pennsylvania learning hub. The Biden administration has pursued “clean hydrogen” as one potential climate solution for heavy industry. It funded the creation of several ‘hydrogen hubs’, including two in Pennsylvania. But what happens to these plans if Donald Trump regains the White House? 

Election denialism is costing the Philadelphia suburbs big money. Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties have spent more than $2.6 million fighting election-related lawsuits since 2020. The race for Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes in the presidential contest is nearing the home stretch.  Pennsylvanians can vote by mail or vote in-person at a polling place on Election Day. The state doesn’t have early in-person voting, but there is a work around. WITF's Jordan Wilkie recorded himself requesting and returning a mail-in ballot, all in-person and the same day, at his county elections office.  Motorists will have to deal with weekend construction along some of the most heavily traveled roadways in Central Pennsylvania.  President Joe Biden says he will formally apologize for the nation's role in forcing Indigenous children into boarding schools -- including one in Cumberland County -- where for more than 150 years many were physically, emotionally and sexually abused, and more than 950 died.  A school district in Perry County has implemented a new system to detect guns on school property.

The state Supreme Court is affirming protections for mail-in voters in Pennsylvania who make mistakes returning their ballots. Pennsylvania election officials say voters have returned ballots that were ripped, had coffee spilled on them, or even burned.  When that happens, they duplicate the votes onto new, clean ballots to ensure they can be scanned and counted by election equipment.  One of the hallmarks of American elections is that there’s a lot of waiting. Several factors contribute to a relatively slow vote counting process in Pennsylvania. Republican Congressman Scotty Perry is facing a tough reelection race. He is being challenged by Democrat Janelle Stelson, a former WGAL news anchor who is well-known in the 10th congressional district. Governor Josh Shapiro has signed a measure into law -- making the Indian festival of lights Diwali a  state holiday. A set of newly filed lawsuits by people who claim they were sexually abused inside Pennsylvania juvenile detention and treatment facilities makes more than 200 people who have launched such cases since May.  A new surveillance camera system is in place in York's Penn Park.

This year's presidential election could see a historic gender gap as young women line up behind Democrat Kamala Harris' bid to be the first female president. One place where this could be significant is Pittsburgh,  All over the country, people with more education are leaning more Democratic, a shift that's reshaping American politics. One of the places where it could have the most impact this year is Centre County.  In a stretch of what once was Pennsylvania steel country, Democrats and Republicans are looking to test their strength with Latino voters. The commonwealth i happens to have one of the fastest-growing Hispanic communities in the country. The fight is along the 222 Corridor, which connects small cities and communities west and north of Philadelphia.  The Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Dauphin County could restart quickly since all of its essential equipment is in good condition. Several years have passed since the Delaware River's shipping channel was deepened, and now the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority is proposing dredging an additional five feet.  Hundreds of kids in the Allentown area are getting a hands-on lesson in farming.  A bill that would give pension increases to more than 60-thousand retired school and government workers is advancing in the state Legislature.  Teachers in one Adams County school district have a new contract. A rural school district in Central Pennsylvania is hoping to add a resource officer to its staff in the coming months.

Roughly 580,000 eligible Latino voters live in Pennsylvania — a number that could determine who wins the presidential race in the key battleground state. Organizers are working to energize Latino voters in Philadelphia. Voting advocates say thousands of people currently incarcerated in Pennsylvania prisons are eligible to vote. The state issued new guidance ahead of next month's elections for prisoners wishing to cast a ballot .  The two major-party candidates for state Attorney General have traded jabs over their experience and argued over who is best equipped to fight crime. But, the job has more responsibilities than that. In a sharply worded letter to Lancaster County commissioners, Secretary of State Al Schmidt says county election workers had been delivering “an inaccurate description of Pennsylvania law” to voters -- misleading them about their eligibility to cast a ballot in the November election. Vice President Kamala Harris is courting Republican voters uneasy about former president Donald Trump. She held three events in Pennsylvania and two other battleground states  with Liz Cheney, the Republican former Wyoming congresswoman who has vocally opposed Trump since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

A federal judge in Pennsylvania is considering a Republican request to direct the state's election officials to take additional steps to verify the identification and eligibility of voters living overseas.  Thousands of supporters of Donald Trump have had a chance to hear from the former president at the county Convention Center.  One of the late golf legend Arnold Palmer's daughters calls Donald Trump’s references to her father’s genitalia "a poor choice of approaches” to honoring his memory.  Organizations in communities across Pennsylvania and the nation that suffered from the decline of coal have joined forces in a plea to the Trump and Harris campaigns.  More than $3.4 million is being awarded for projects in Pennsylvania, in an effort to protect agricultural runoff into rivers, lakes and streams. Elon Musk is pledging to give away $1 million a day to voters for signing his political action committee’s petition backing the Constitution. The giveaway by the Donald Trump supporter is raising questions and alarms among some election experts who say it's a violation of the law. A Berks County woman has been sentenced to two life terms on murder convictions in the deaths of her two young children. Authorities say two people are facing charges following the release of about 200 minks from cages at a Northumberland County fur farm. 

In the weeks leading up to the election, some have begun to falsely assert students in Pennsylvania may attempt to vote twice -- once in their hometown, and once in the location of their college or university. But, so far, there’s no evidence that’s the case. The deadline for Pennsylvanians to register to vote in November is Monday. The Cumberland County Elections Bureau has announced additional hours on select days, for residents who plan to vote in the November election using mail-in ballots they plan to deliver by hand.   Governor Josh Shapiro has joined his fellow Democratic governors from Michigan, and Wisconsin on a bus tour through their states to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid.  Elon Musk has brought his support for Republican Donald Trump to the Philadelphia suburbs for a town hall. A nonprofit is launching a pilot project in Pennsylvania to lease rooftop solar installations to low and moderate-income residents. But, the clean energy project was enabled by legislation which could be in jeopardy if Donald Trump wins in November. Lancaster County prisoners will no longer be handcuffed when receiving medication to treat withdrawal symptoms and opioid addiction. A group of Lancaster County teachers have set a date to take to the picket lines -- amid contentious contract talks. You might remember we brought you the story of how the owners of Washington state's only coal plant made a deal to close -- but also help the community absorb the loss. That kind of approach hasn't happened in Pennsylvania yet. We take you to Homer City to check on how it's adjusting to losing its plant plant a year ago. 

Vice President Kamala Harris is urging Republican voters in Pennsylvania and across the nation to put “country first” and abandon former President Donald Trump.  Some 1.7 million Pennsylvania voters are approved to vote by-mail, and about one-third of them have already returned ballots.  With less than two weeks to go before the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot, Lancaster County election leaders have flagged clerical errors on 267 ballots out of more than 28,000 returned so far. Governor Josh Shapiro has signed legislation designed to protect federal judges after state lawmakers passed it earlier this month. A teacher's union president has declined to share the outcome of a vote to authorize a strike in one Lancaster County school district. A convicted killer’s escape from a Chester County jail last year has cost him his right to appeal his original life sentence.      A new federal policy requires all mammography centers to notify women if they have dense breasts -- because they may need additional screening to better detect breast cancer - especially in the early stages. But. women want more counseling on what this information means and what to do next…

Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Dave McCormick have squared off for their second and final debate in the race for the U.S. Senate.  The Republican and Democratic candidates for state attorney general have met for a second debate as well. Two men were shot and injured during the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump this summer in Butler. They are speaking publicly about their experience for the first time. The Supreme Court has tossed out a decision in a Pennsylvania case allowing 18-year-olds to legally carry guns in public.  With the U.S. House narrowly divided, contests for Pennsylvania’s seats will be critical to determine who will control the chamber.

The voter registration deadline is quickly approaching in Pennsylvania, considered a battleground state in this Presidential election. We’ll tell you how you can register to vote to cast your ballot this fall. And fracking in Pennsylvania has become a key presidential talking point. We fact-check what is being said, especially when it comes to jobs.

Pennsylvanians in jail may be eligible to vote, if they’re not convicted of a felony. A Pittsburgh legislator wants voting rights to be clear for people behind bars. And new color-correcting viewfinders are in place at nine state parks to help colorblind visitors see fall foliage. Around one million Pennsylvanians are colorblind, including Governor Josh Shapiro. We’ll explain where the new viewfinders are located.

Penn State trustees cannot move forward with a vote to remove an outspoken board member.  Also at Penn State… the “Students for Justice in Palestine” group is hosting a “week of action” on the University Park campus. People who live near last year’s train derailment in East Palestine near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border should be able to receive personal injury payments.

More than a decade after the Flint Michigan water crisis, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is requiring all lead pipes across the country be removed within 10 years.  Fracking in Pennsylvania is an issue that's popped up in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Dave McCormick. Both men support the practice, but polls show Pennsylvania voters are ambivalent on the topic.  A big change is coming to school buses in parts of Pennsylvania. The School District of Philadelphia has joined hundreds of districts nationwide going green.  A York County judge has been suspended without pay -- after he was indicted by a federal grand jury. A Greece-based company is planning to set up its first American manufacturing operation in Central Pennsylvania. Teachers in one Central Pennsylvania community have been working without a contract for about seven weeks. A Christian nationalist preacher named Sean Feucht (FOYKT)is touring state capitols around the country. One is of his latest stops was in Harrisburg. 

Voters across Dauphin County and parts of Cumberland and York counties have new information about their 10th congressional district candidates. The positions were laid out by Democratic Party challenger Janelle Stelson and Republican Party incumbent Scott Perry. Control of the 50-member state Senate will likely come down to a handful of races this November More than five years after an explosion and massive fire at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in southwest Philly, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced a $4.2 million settlement with the bankrupt former operator.  A York County judge has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges he directed employees at his law firm to fraudulently collect unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic and later tried to cover it up. With cleanup continuing from one hurricane and another on the way, the American Red Cross is looking to replenish its blood supply, and are offering an incentive.  Poll workers are on the front lines across Pennsylvania on election day -- from the time voting begins until well past the deadline for ballots to be cast. Their main responsibilities are to check-in voters and maintain a safe, secure and efficient polling place or precinct. As part of Election 2024 coverage centered around listening to Central Pennsylvanians, we gathered together a group of six poll workers and judges of elections to hear about their experiences.

The nation's highest court has turned away a challenge from Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania to a Biden administration executive order that is intended to boost voter registration.  A bill recently passed by the state Senate would provide funding to create “safe exchange zones” for custody exchanges and online marketplace sales. We look at how it's working in some communities where they're already in place. It's been a decade since one party controlled the governor’s mansion and the state legislature. The November elections could pave the way for new state laws, or changes to the state constitution itself. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working to improve the way it reports firearm injuries. The move comes after President Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to do more to reduce gun violence and strengthen prevention programs. The largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the U.S. that serves more than 2.3 million Pennsylvanians says it was the victim of a cyberattack. A York County school district has reversed course and boarded up window openings it recently installed that allowed people in a middle school hallway to peer into two gender-neutral-designated bathrooms.  The presidential election in Pennsylvania could be decided by a razor-thin margin. So, political canvassers are descending on the state to try and pick up  any votes they can. 

The state Supreme Court has declined to immediately decide questions related to mail-in ballots in the commonwealth with just weeks remaining before Election Day. At least 16 counties do not give voters any notice about a mistake or give them a chance to fix it -- according to a new analysis. More than 20,000 Pennsylvanians living abroad or serving in the military have applied to vote by mail.  Solar energy developers may need to pay more to get projects built under a proposal moving through the state legislature.  Philadelphia’s Jewish museum is one step closer to becoming part of the Smithsonian Institution.

From police officers to Red Cross volunteers to utility repair crews, Pennsylvania is rushing aid to hurricane-ravaged parts of the South.  Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick have criticized each other's records during a debate. The two major-party candidates for state Attorney General have argued over their qualifications in their first debate.  A Snyder County police chief has resigned -- after receiving a job offer in Delaware County.  WITF's parent company has laid off two dozen employees -- a reduction of 10 percent of its workforce. Among the people let go are 11 members of the combined news team of WITF and LNP | Lancaster online.

Fresh off his debate appearance, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is trying to drum up support in predominately Republican parts of Pennsylvania. Deadlines for voters to get their mail-in ballots are coming up fast. The earlier you apply and return your ballot, the better. Thousands of ballots are already cast now that voting has officially begun in Pennsylvania. More and more money is flowing into political campaigns, from races for state judges and lawmakers to president, making elections in the U.S. among the world’s most expensive. We have an explainer on tracking money in Pennsylvania’s state and federal elections.  The remains of nine more Native American children who died at a notorious government-run boarding school in Cumberland County over a century ago have been disinterred from a small Army cemetery and returned to families.  The Republican challenger trying to flip the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania says he'll press for U.S. military action in Mexico to target fentanyl trafficking networks. David McCormick and Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey are set to debate tonight. 

Three people in a northeastern Pennsylvania county are suing to overturn a decision to prevent all four of its drop boxes for mail-in ballots from being deployed. Counties are starting to send out by-mail ballots and some voters are discovering a sticky situation. Humidity is causing some return envelopes to come pre-sealed. Fresh off last night's debate, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz is scheduled to visit York today. But, he will not be joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, as originally announced. Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey faces GOP contender Dave McCormick in their first debate tomorrow. The slim Democratic majority in the Senate is on the line this November. Two leaders of the now dissolved Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Penn State will serve jail time in the Centre County Correctional Facility. The sentencing comes seven years after the death of Timothy Piazza, in connection with an alcohol-fueled hazing initiation.  The ports of Philadelphia and Baltimore are among those closed due to a strike by the union representing about 45,000 dockworkers.   A new license plate is available to drivers who want to celebrate hunting and fishing and support outdoor programs for young people.   The co-founders of a central Pennsylvania theater group saw a massive pile of food scraps and cow manure…and decided to write a musical about it. We preview a show that literally sings the praises of turning farm waste into renewable energy.

People who want to put solar panels on their roofs in the midstate could get a better price if they work together.  State House Republicans say they’ll introduce a package of bills to curb crime.  A court fight in Philadelphia centers on the University of the Arts' $63 million endowment.  Democrats are regaining their majority in the state House as they return for voting sessions for the first time since July.  Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, will speak at the York Fairgrounds tomorrow.

Despite pushback from some community members, Centre County’s board of elections is moving forward with creating a satellite election office on the Penn State University Park campus. Even with bipartisan support to increase the state's minimum wage to $15 lawmakers don't expect much movement on the issue any time soon. The president and CEO of Visit Hershey & Harrisburg is stepping down -- just days after the FBI visited her office. Researchers have found that a drug being developed for cancer treatment could also lead to a new treatment for Alzheimer’s and other diseases.  A Northumberland County school district is hoping to avoid a planned teachers strike tomorrow.. Elizabethtown College is cutting back on full-time faculty to reduce costs. Students at Shippensburg University, like others at central Pennsylvania colleges, are among those with a big stake in who the next U.S. president will be.  And they have questions for the candidates.   We recently sat down with eight students at the Franklin County school and focused on two simple questions.

Citing security concerns, Luzerne County is not allowing ballot drop boxes for the November election.  Counties are testing their voting machines in preparation for Election Day. The tests - combined with post-election audits - make sure the machines count votes correctly.  Pennsylvania gas drillers slowed production earlier this year. Philadelphia's district attorney is celebrating a legal victory over GOP state lawmakers who impeached him in 2022. A Lancaster County Bible study leader is accused of molesting a girl dozens of times over several months. A man who assaulted a West York Councilman at a York rally for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has been taken into custody. But, police say they don't believe the attack was politically motivated

Voting rights advocates are asking Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court to stop counties from throwing out what could be thousands of mail-in ballots in November’s election in the presidential battleground state.  Some energy experts are hailing the planned restart of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant as good for the climate. Nuclear facilities don’t emit the planet-warming pollution that fossil fuel plants do.  In a change of course, the  Cumberland Valley School District will participate in a state-funded program to give student teachers thousands of extra dollars. Scores of other schools still have not sent in their participation agreements. A federal judge has approved a $600 million settlement between Norfolk Southern and people who live near East Palestine, Ohio, where a train derailed last year, contaminating the community.   An arbitration board is allowing U.S. Steel to proceed with its proposed acquisition by Nippon Steel.   Investigators in Philadelphia are exhuming eight bodies buried in a potter's field this week in the hope that advances in DNA-based testing can help them identify the long-ago victims. A Montgomery County bakery’s cookie “poll” that started during the 2008 presidential campaign as a joke between the owners and their customers has grown into much more. 

A panel of judges is requiring a Western Pennsylvania county to give voters a chance to fix problems with mail-in ballots and allow them to vote by provisional ballot if needed.  With a little more than a month before the election, Kamala Harris' presidential campaign is working to get Republicans to vote for Democrats in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh has effectively banned rodeos for more than 30 years. But a provision inserted in this year's state budget requires municipalities to allow those events.  A Berks County woman faces a life sentence for hanging her two children in the basement of their home in 2019.  Lebanon County voters should get their mail-in ballots early next month. Police are investigating a former Lancaster Country Day student for creating AI-generated nude images of female classmates.

Republicans are stepping up scrutiny of the state's system for registering people to vote through its driver’s licensing centers.  The Ukrainian community in Lackawanna County is thrilled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally visited an ammunition plant to   thank Pennsylvania workers.  Anti-abortion activists have flocked to the state Capitol for the annual March for Life. Leaders in Congress say they’ve reached a deal on a spending bill that will head off a government shutdown - for now. GOP Pennsylvania Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson is supportive of the extension. The candidates for the 10th Congressional District, which represents much of central Pennsylvania, are squaring off in a debate at seven p.m. on October 8th. A Reading man faces thousands of dollars in fines after a security team at Lancaster Airport found a loaded nine millimeter handgun in his carry-on bag. The Philadelphia Phillies have clinched the National League East.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the Lackawanna County ammunition factory that is producing one of the most critically needed munitions for his country’s fight to fend off Russian ground forces.  Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance has campaigned at the Berks County Fairgrounds. Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has also campaigned in Pennsylvania. The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Dauphin County plans to restart the reactor. In some places across Pennsylvania, distress calls to 211 or 988 link callers with support professionals - who in some cases, are too far away to act. Chester County has a solution. Central Pennsylvania is recovering from an intense storm that blasted parts of the region Saturday night.   Penn State has removed nearly three dozen racks containing its independent student-produced newspaper from on-campus this week because politics-related ads on the racks violated school policy.  A defense attorney is dismissing as “conjecture” the prosecution’s case against a Berks County woman charged with killing her two young children.   Former president Donald Trump has baselessly called out Haitian migrants in the small town of Charleroi in western Pennsylvania. Oliver Morrison is with our friends at WESA in Pittsburgh and spent some time in the Washington County community.

Democrats in Pennsylvania are at their weakest voter registration advantage in more than two decades. Former president Donald Trump has been telling one lie consistently since 2016 to justify his popular vote losses. The Republican presidential candidate and his allies are again pushing false claims that noncitizens vote. A new  $10 million grant program aims to fund efficient and sustainable farming technologies in Pennsylvania.  State Senator Doug Mastriano, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate whose support for Donald Trump drew him to the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, is suing a Canadian university and nearly two dozen academics.   Two Gettysburg College students are suspended from the swim team amid allegations they scratched a racial slur into the skin of a fellow student.   Penn State will pay more than $700,000 in back wages and interest to resolve alleged gender pay discrimination against women employees at the University Park campus. As  part of our commitment to transparency in our journalism, Scott Blanchard, WITF’s director of journalism, joins me each week to take you behind the scenes on our editorial decisions, discussions or approaches. In this week’s email newsletter The Purple Buck,  Scott wrote about how we’re approaching covering presidential candidate appearances in central PA and mentioned a term that you might have heard of in relation to election news coverage, and that’s “sane-washing.”  Scott talks with Tim Lambert about the approach.

An online tool designed to help Pennsylvanians find their polling places is riddled with misspelled and duplicate community names. Every other year, Pennsylvania surveys students about everything from drug use to personal safety. The latest survey offers insights about what helps young people stay out of trouble.    The familiar towers at Three Mile Island will come down in the next several years as the nuclear plant is decommissioned. But, pieces of the site will be preserved for history.  The Philadelphia 76ers have a new teammate in their bid to build a new $1.3 billion  arena downtown -- the city. Girls flag football is now an officially sanctioned state championship sport.  Governor Josh Shapiro has learned to carry his ID with him.

With about seven weeks until the election, the Trump and Harris campaigns are scrambling to get as many voters on their side as possible. The slim margins of victory in recent presidential elections has the candidates taking nothing for granted.  Vice president Kamala Harris has joined a panel discussion in Philadelphia -- hosted by the National Association of Black Journalists. Part of the discussion focused on Gaza. The state Senate is trying again to overturn a regulation that would make power plants pay for pollution. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is still tied up in court cases.  Pennsylvania is set to honor an iconic artist from the 1980s in his Berks County hometown. Election leaders in Luzerne County are spending about 40 percent  of their time on security and working with law enforcement on election plans.    A new parent company is being formed to solidify the partnerships of WITF, LNP | Lancaster Online and the Steinman Institute for Civic Engagement. 

Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court has upheld a lower ruling that rejected a bid to get independent presidential candidate Cornel West on the battleground state's ballot for the November election.  Commonwealth Secretary Al Schmidt is answering voter concerns ahead of the November 5th election. The state’s top election leader is working overtime to ensure the election is free, fair, safe and secure. After voters go to the polls or send in their mail-in ballots, what is the best way to count up all the votes accurately? President Joe Biden says his administration plans to invest an additional $1.3 billion  in federal funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).  A midstate teacher’s aide and wrestling coach is accused of sexual misconduct involving one student and sending nude photos to another.   Philadelphia voters are filling two vacant seats in the state House.

Mail-in voters in Pennsylvania must write the correct date on their return envelopes or risk having their ballots rejected.  Due to high levels of voter excitement and confusion in news reports and social media channels, counties are getting lots of questions about when voters will actually get ballots in-hand. That won’t be until early October, as is normal in Pennsylvania.  Governor Josh Shapiro is taking steps to address affordable housing and homelessness. Dauphin County is absolving inmates of nearly 66 million dollars in room and board debts. Democrats are pumping $25 million into expanded voter outreach across Pennsylvania and nine other states as part of their effort to protect their narrow Senate majority.  A York County man has entered no contest pleas to charges that he killed his father and stepmother with a sword in their home almost five years ago.

 Governor Josh Shapiro is bringing back the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.  A stretch of heat waves in July is taking its toll on some midstate farmers. Nearly 40 acres is burning and smoke can be seen for miles around Fort Indiantown Gap, the nation’s busiest National Guard training center. It’s a planned burn. A truck driver has been found guilty of trying to run over a fire police lieutenant in Lancaster County last year.   A midstate county is taking steps to ensure voters who send in a mail ballot with a mistake will have a chance to fix the problem.   A central Pennsylvania cookie maker is spending a lot of dough to expand operations.  

For the first time in a year and a half, the street that runs in front of a West Reading chocolate factory that exploded is now open.   New measurements show climate pollution is escaping oil and gas production hubs at an estimated 4 times the amount companies report to regulators.  Climate change is taking front and center stage before the Philadelphia Gas Commission.   A section of Clear Creek State Forest in western Pennsylvania has been inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network, which tallies these rare ecosystems across the country. Two Cumberland County police departments are investigating the threat of a school shooting. A Philadelphia police officer is dead nearly three months after being shot in the neck during a traffic stop.  That bright light you might have seen streaking across the sky early Tuesday was the launch of SpaceX’s latest rocket -– the Polaris Dawn -- that blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.