Pennsylvania's state House Republican leader says transit agencies in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh should consider privatizing some functions to avoid service cuts. House minority leader Jesse Topper says Philadelphia's transit system -- the largest in the state -- could run more efficiently by hiring outside drivers. A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Regional Transit dismissed the idea.

Pennsylvanians have less than a week to obtain a Real ID by the May 7th deadline. PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said PennDOT is ramping up for the last-minute rush.

A new greenhouse gas emissions inventory from Philadelphia shows planet-warming emissions, are decreasing... from sources such as cars, trucks, homes, industrial facilities and leaks from gas pipelines. Sophia Schmidt, from our friends at WHYY's Climate Desk, reports.

Pennsylvania was set to receive $13 million over three years to purchase fresh produce for communities in need. That funding was blocked by the Trump Administration last month. Isabela Weiss from our friends at WVIA reports, some farmers say the Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) program was deeply flawed and didn’t meet local needs... while food bank organizers say the funding is essential.

The West York police officer killed in a York hospital seige in February... was killed by friendly fire.

York County District Attorney Tim Barker says Andrew Duarte was struck by a shotgun blast fired by police that also hit an armed man holding hostages.

Attorneys General from Pennsylvania and 39 other states are calling on Congress not to eliminate funding for a vital federal program. The Legal Services Corporation, or LSC, provides representation for eligible veterans and older individuals in rural areas.

Harrisburg city officials have issued an emergency declaration for the 6th Street corridor. They're calling 6th Street a public safety hazard... between Maclay and Reily Streets... due to drivers consistently traveling above the posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour.

Local musician Darrion Washington stopped by our studio recently to play a couple of his songs and chat. His music takes listeners through a range of emotions, from softer melodies to agonized wails. Darrion was joined by his friend and guitarist Austin VonStetten for a performance and conversation in our studio with WITF Music’s Joe Ulrich.

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House and Senate members are back in session this week to continue negotiations on a state budget for the fiscal year that begins July first. As WITF's David Payne reports, one of the issues lawmakers will be discussing is funding for mass transit.

The owners of Restorative Roots Recovery want to continue operating recovery houses in northeastern Pennsylvania, but they're concerned about the Trump administration's federal funding cuts. Lydia McFarlane from our friends at WVIA reports from the only licensed male recovery houses in Luzerne County.

The Eagles visited the White House Monday to celebrate the team’s Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Speculation about who would and wouldn’t attend the celebration had been going since the date was announced last month. Nick Kariuki with WHYY's Billy Penn was in Washington D.C. for the event.

Yesterday, April 30th, was the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. For stories about the war from Central Pennsylvanians who lived through it, see: https://vietnam.witf.org/stories/

Two people were electrocuted in Pennsylvania... one in State College and one in Pittsburgh... amid severe storms that swept across the state Tuesday night.

It's been two weeks since a shooting at Florida State University killed two and injured six. We're now learning that one of those injured is Gettysburg native and FSU student Reese Gourley. Her family released a statement through their attorney stating that their daughter suffered a gunshot wound in her back and now faces a long recovery.

U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement... Known as ICE... has approved agreements with the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and Northwest Regional Police Department. The agreement allow the two local agencies to arrest and detain people on behalf of the federal agency.

Controversial Commonwealth University president Bashar Hanna will step down on July 31st to accept a new leadership role in Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.

A Mifflin County High School English and Journalism teacher is the 2025 National Teacher of the Year. Ashlie Crosson teaches 10th through 12th graders in A-P English, 10th grade English, and a class called Survival Stories... an elective that approaches global humanitarian crises from a youth perspective.

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Some international students in Pennsylvania and elsewhere lost their student status recently, which allows them to stay and study in the U.S. Alan Yu from our friends at WHYY reports, the decision has now been reversed.

The Trump administration has long flirted with the idea of selling the U.S. Postal Service to the highest bidder. Kenny Cooper, also from our friends at WHYY, reports Philadelphia-area letter carriers and post office workers are on edge.

In the wake of an arson attack on the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg, Dauphin County officials admit a 911 dispatcher mishandled a call the morning of the fire.

After nearly a week, firefighters are making steady progress containing a pair of wildfires in a central Pennsylvania state forest. The fires cover more than 2700 acres in Michaux State Forest, about 30 to 50 miles southwest of Harrisburg.

We could be in for a Congressional rematch in central Pennsylvania's 10th House District in 20-26. U.S. Representative Scott Perry's spokesman confirms he will be running for an eighth term in the U.S. House. And Janelle Stelson is reportedly telling Democratic Party leaders she's strongly considering challenging Perry again.

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The Pennsylvania House is broadening and advancing a consumer data privacy bill. WITF’s Jordan Wilkie reports it would allow Pennsylvanians to ask companies to not collect certain data and have them delete other data already on-hand.

A Johnstown-based mining company has gotten the go-ahead to expand an underground coal mine in Westmoreland County. LCT Energy operates the 2800-acre Rustic Ridge “Number One” coal mine in Donegal, just south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike exit there. The company recently got approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to expand the mine northward, underneath the Turnpike. Reid Frazier, from our friends at the Allegheny Front, reports opponents of the project worry about the potential for environmental damage.

Dauphin County officials admit a 911 dispatcher did not appropriately escalate a call in accordance with county policy, early Sunday morning, April 13th, an hour after an arson attack on the Governor's Residence.

Campgrounds, boat ramps, welcome centers and other recreational facilities run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in six states are being closed or seeing hours reduced due to funding cuts by the Trump administration. The cuts include Blue Marsh Lake located near Reading, in Berks County.

Mike Sullivan’s nearly decade-long tenure running the Pittsburgh Penguins is over. The team announced Monday that it was parting ways with the two-time Stanley Cup winning coach just over a week after the Penguins missed out on the playoffs for a third straight season.

And the Hershey Bears open their Calder Cup playoff run this week. Game one is Wednesday night in Hershey, versus the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in an Atlantic Division best-of-five semifinal series. Hershey is seeking its 14th AHL championship overall.

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Firefighters are making steady progress fighting a pair of wildfires in Cumberland County... despite gusty winds over the weekend. The fires cover more than 27-hundred acres in Michaux State Forest, between 30-50 miles from Harrisburg.

At least 12 Bhutanese refugees and former Pennsylvania residents are now stateless people in India and Nepal after U-S deportations. WITF’s Jordan Wilkie reports the men were sent to Bhutan, despite the fact that they are not considered citizens of the Himalayan nation.

Meantime, a suburban Philadelphia sheriff's office is teaming up with US Immigration Customs and Enforcement. Emily Neil from our friends at WHYY reports, if the agreement goes into effect, ICE will provide training to Bucks County sheriff’s office deputies to assist with and carry out arrests for immigration violations and more.

It was exactly a week ago... last Monday... when we received the news that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88. The leader of the Harrisburg Catholic diocese attended Saturday’s funeral services for Pope Francis. WITF’s Rachel McDevitt reports the bishop is reflecting on the legacy of the late pontiff.

Following Pope Francis’s death, a mural in Philadelphia commemorating his visit to the city of brotherly love nearly a decade ago has become a memorial site. Cory Sharber from our friends at WHYY has more.

And the Philadelphia Eagles will visit the White House today. Bernie Sanders is coming to Central Pennsylvania this week as part of his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour. And Selinsgrove would become more walkable, pedestrian and bike-friendly, under a trail connectivity plan.

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Comments on autism by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are drawing fire from Pennsylvania representatives -- including two who are autistic themselves.

A state lawmaker who has built a bipartisan coalition around food health and nutrition. Rep. Natalie Mihalek wants Pennsylvania to take on highly-processed foods and other health concerns. She's assembled a package of seven bills she’s calling Healthy PA.

Presidents at several central Pennsylvania colleges and universities are among the 300 nationwide who have signed a statement condemning what they say are the Trump administration's unprecedented government overreach and political interference endangering American education and public research funding.

By the end of June, creditors of a former Lancaster County-based drug and alcohol rehab center should be paid and its remaining Ephrata property should be sold. That’s what court-appointed receivers for Retreat Behavioral Health told a Lancaster County judge on Wednesday. Retreat closed abruptly last June following the suicides of its founder and chief administrative officers. The company was in debt for at least $30 million.

The company that owned the railcar that caused the devastating East Palestine, Ohio train derailment in 2023 will NOT have to help pay for the $600 million dollar settlement Norfolk Southern agreed to with residents. An Ohio jury decided Wednesday that GATX isn't liable for the settlement, even though the failure of a bearing on its railcar carrying plastic pellets caused the pileup on Feb. 3, 2023.

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Air quality is getting worse for some Central Pennsylvania communities. WITF’s Rachel McDevitt has more on the latest State of the Air report.

Pennsylvania state leaders are enacting a plan to reduce rates of maternal morbidity and mortality across the Commonwealth. It includes making it easier for women and children to access health care, nutrition and other social services.

Meantime, in Philadelphia, healthcare outreach workers are trying to offer that help in an unusual place: laundromats.

This past weekend marked the 250th anniversary of the first shots fired in the American Revolution--and a special exhibit opened at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.

The two Democrats running for Lancaster mayor will debate this Saturday. And the U.S. Justice Department has withdrawn a lawsuit accusing Hazleton and its leaders of violating federal law by thwarting the election of Hispanic City Council candidates.

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The federal deadline to get a REAL ID is now about two weeks away, but only 27% of Pennsylvanians have one.

The parent company of Philadelphia’s Independence Blue Cross posted a NET LOSS for the first time in nearly a decade last year. That means the nonprofit spent more on healthcare costs than it collected in insurance premiums.

The trade war between the U.S. and China is knocking on the door of the fast-fashion industry. Proponents of sustainable clothing hope tariffs will persuade people to buy second hand.

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