Sen. Arlen Specter in Lancaster on Wednesday said that being a Democrat "feels very comfortable."Specter had better realize his comfort level is beside the point.Since he switched parties at the end of April, what matters is whether Democrats are comfortable with Specter....

Municipalities that don't have their own police departments soon may be asked to pick up the cost of state police coverage.A measure to impose fees on those municipalities — about 20 percent of those in Pennsylvania, including several townships in Lancaster County — passed ......

They're worried about making ends meet, and they're a little miffed, these mayors from Pennsylvania's blue-collar, rust-belt cities that Bruce Springsteen might sing about.At a news conference in Lancaster to plug tax reform that would give cities a fighting chance to reverse d......

Now that the deadline to pass a state budget has come and gone and there's no prospect of an agreement anytime soon, you might be wondering: What makes this year different?It is true that the Legislature and Gov. Ed Rendell haven't been able to approve a spending plan before July 1......

Forget midnight.In fact, some Harrisburg insiders say, forget July.The disparate factions warring over next year's state budget are still miles apart, which means reaching an accord before the constitutional July 1 deadline — or even over the next several weeks — is ......

Mayors of five Pennsylvania cities — Lancaster, York, Reading, Easton and Bethlehem — announced Tuesday they've formed a coalition to meet the challenge of paying for municipal government.The cities had been the subject of a study earlier this year by the Pennsylvania Econo......

Budget battles in Pennsylvania are rarely collegial. Rather than working to bridge the gap between revenue and expenditures, the two parties tend to migrate to their own aisles and throw barbs at each other.Faced with the largest deficit in state history, lawmakers this year have reverted ......

An income-tax increase proposed Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell probably won't pass, state lawmakers said Tuesday.But as Democrats and Republicans look to slash spending in ways that will have consequences for local governments, most people will probably end up paying higher taxe......

The Draft Smithgall effort appears to have succeeded. Former Lancaster Mayor Charlie Smithgall got enough write-in votes in Tuesday's Republican primary to run  as the GOP nominee against Democratic incumbent Rick Gray, an initial vote count by elections workers showed. "Repu......

State Rep. Mike Sturla calls it "outdated, unfair and … an abuse."He could have called it absurd, too.The target of his scorn is special-education funding in Pennsylvania.The state, by law, must provide special-needs children with schooling that prepares them......

Most would agree that Pennsylvania's state police are very good at what they do. They patrol highways, arrest bad guys, break up drug rings and respond when called.But as well-trained as they are, they cannot be in two places at the same time.Yet, they are being asked to do more......

The Rendell administration is rolling out a plan to quickly spend $252.8 million in stimulus money on the statewide Weatherization Assistance Program.At a hearing Tuesday in Harrisburg, lawmakers and other officials discussed a preliminary plan that would bolster spending on the program th......

State Rep. Mike Sturla has introduced legislation that would revamp Pennsylvania's special-education funding formula.The Lancaster city Democrat is co-sponsoring House Bill 704, which would replace the current funding formula with one based on the 2007 "costing-out" study com......

A bill approved Tuesday by the state House on Tuesday would add more stringent requirements for landscape architects to acquire a license to practice in Pennsylvania.The bill would mandate anyone wishing to obtain a landscape architecture license pass an exam and take 24 total hours of con......

Charlie Smithgall might be headed for a political comeback. He just doesn't know it. And he might not even want it. Supporters are orchestrating a write-in campaign for the affable former mayor in next month's mayoral primary — and haven't bothered to tell their own candidate....

Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray needs a shovel to do his job. Pennsylvania gives mayors a wheelbarrow instead.A wheelbarrow is a handy thing to have. No doubt mayors put them to good use.But when you need to dig, you want a shovel.Even before the recession, mayors were trying to di......

The state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday that would bar illegal immigrants from accessing public benefits such as Medicaid.But the bill's future is in doubt as it moves to the Democrat-dominated state House, and Gov. Ed Rendell has signaled his displeasure with it.T......

The case of the once-powerful state lawmaker accused of misusing money from a nonprofit he founded is likely to shed light on a small number of similar foundations in Pennsylvania, including one started by Rep. Mike Sturla here. Investigators with the state Attorney General's Office are "scruti......

The federal stimulus package notwithstanding, Pennsylvania faces a budget deficit that is inching toward $3 billion this fiscal year.In an attempt to balance the budget, Gov. Ed Rendell has laid off workers and placed restrictions on the use of automobiles and state-owned planes. Lawmakers......

No news became news Thursday, as Bill Ayers came and went at Millersville University, and nothing happened. A phalanx of police officers from across the county ringed the building where Ayers appeared, checking everyone who entered with a metal detector, closing nearby streets and keeping a ......

Under Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed budget, some of the state's historic sites could become, well, history.Barbara Franco, executive director of Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, told legislators at a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee on Monday that proposed c......

More often than not, state Rep. Mike Sturla gets it.He's a dependable champion of such noble causes as insuring the uninsured and funding schools so every student has a fair opportunity to achieve.Local progressives never fail to rally around Sturla because he's the one and ......

House Democrats rolled back a few reforms that grew out of the 2005 pay-raise controversy Wednesday night, an action that drew little notice as Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed budget dominated media discussions."Now, unfortunately, because of these rules before us, it's a step back......

It's not going to save that much money. It will eliminate neighborhood schools. It will wound local pride. Several local school officials said today they do not think Gov. Ed Rendell's proposal to consolidate the state's 501 school districts to about 100 districts could work....

Republican state lawmakers from the county found much to dislike about Gov. Ed Rendell's latest budget — namely that it hikes spending and relies on federal stimulus money. But, when prodded, some also gave the Democrat an atta-boy — namely for kicking off the months-long process of......

As of Tuesday evening, five members of the Lancaster County delegation had returned their 2009 pay raises to the state Treasury and two others had donated theirs to charity."People are getting laid off," said state state Rep. Scott Boyd, a West Lampeter Township Republican who ha......

Lancaster County's newest state senator on Tuesday decided to pick up where his predecessor left off.Shortly after taking the oath of office, State Sen. Lloyd Smucker introduced legislation to increase penalties for violations of the state's open government laws.Smucker, alo......

A part of Lancaster's controversial downtown urban renewal project, which swept away a block of "blighted" buildings in the 1960s, will itself soon be history.The pedestrian walkway over the 100 block of North Queen Street is coming down, part of a demolition project intended......

When the Legislature reconfigured the 13th Senatorial District following the 1990 Census, we wondered if state Sen. Gibson E. Armstrong would fully represent the city's interests. After all, Armstrong's previous districts in both the state House and Senate had been largely rural in nature......

The state Legislature's new session is still about a month away but Democrats and Republicans already are at odds as the two sides sparred Wednesday over an old topic — pay raises for legislators.The row began when House Democratic leaders announced Wednesday morning they would f......

House Democratic leaders say they are voluntarily giving up this year's 2.8 percent pay hike in light of the faltering economy and the state's dire financial situation. And they are encouraging all rank and file in the 203-member House to pay back their own $2,151.35 raises — a......

The grand vision of Lancaster Square is coming down piece by piece.Planned as a downtown mecca for shoppers and businesses, the complex included two connecting parking garages, movie theaters, an anchor department store, a bank, a hotel and tiny shops, boutiques and business offices peerin......

For Deb Fitzkee, it started in Elstonville two years ago. Her husband called: He was taking her to a club picnic. He was a hunter; she knew there was a "turkey shoot" scheduled. She figured the archers would be firing arrows into polyfoam targets. Instead, the targets were mad......

As volunteers and officials served an estimated 300 people a Thanksgiving meal Wednesday in the Water Street Rescue Mission dining hall, they also were talking about some troubling trends.Single women with children now make up a greater portion of all homeless people nationally compared wi......

The bespectacled and bow-tied Rick Gray slouched in his chair late Tuesday afternoon, and his eyes drooped toward a 43-page budget document resting on his lap.Gray, the mayor of Lancaster city, was in the middle of his third newspaper editorial board meeting in 24 hours about his proposed ......

For the first time in seven years, a Lancaster County lawmaker will hold a leadership position in the state House of Representatives.The Democratic caucus Tuesday elected state Rep. Mike Sturla, a 10-term Democrat from Lancaster city, to chair the House Democratic Caucus' policy commit......

Politicians from Lancaster County remembered Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll on Wednesday night as a woman who smashed gender barriers yet treated even her toughest political opponents with respect.Knoll lost her four-month battle with cancer Wednesday at the age of 78, ending an accomplish......

In the aftermath of last week's election, a showdown for the top positions in the state House is brewing, and that could force Lancaster County-based legislators to make some tough choices.At stake are the most influential posts inside the chamber — house speaker and majority lea......

Half of all Latino students at McCaskey High School drop out.That stark fact is in a report Frances Rodriguez keeps on her desk.Every day when Rodriguez, 45, comes to work as chief of staff at state Rep. Mike Sturla's office, she can't miss seeing that report.It's......

Sen. John McCain needed to win big in Lancaster County to help propel him to victory in Pennsylvania. He won, but by a smaller margin than past Republican candidates here, and Sen. Barack Obama took the state and the nation in the presidential race. McCain won almost 56 percent of the v......

Bruce Beardsley, chairman of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee, stood at a podium in the party's campaign headquarters Sunday beneath a banner reading "CHANGE VS. MORE OF THE SAME.""Forty-eight hours," Beardsley said as about three dozen fellow Democrats che......

No, Thaddeus Stevens will not be rising from his grave at Shreiner-Concord Cemetery on Halloween night.But friends of the cemetery at Mulberry and Chestnut streets will be on hand from 6 to 8 tonight projecting larger-than-life images of Stevens and others on a freshly painted brick wall, ......

A new, centrally located visitors center is scheduled to open this spring in the shadow of Lancaster County Convention Center.The newly named Lancaster Visitors Center will draw tourists to the first floor of the Heritage Center Museum in Penn Square and be operated by Pennsylvania Dutch C......

For Fran Rodriguez, "Latinos in Lancaster County" was a harsh dose of reality.The report, released in December by the Lancaster County Workforce Investment Board, examined the social, economic and academic challenges confronting the county's Latino community.To Rodrigu......

As the sun cast long shadows on the infield of Clipper Magazine Stadium on Friday evening, more than a dozen workers set up steel barriers, a stage and a walkway stretching the entire length of the right-field line in preparation for a political powerhouse.This morning, Alaska Gov. Sarah P......

The news from Harrisburg is grim. This morning, the 11 members of Lancaster County's state legislative delegation painted a bleak picture on a host of state issues. Speaking at a legislative issues breakfast sponsored by The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the lawmakers took tu......

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius may not have been in Kansas anymore, but she seemed right at home Saturday speaking to a crowd of excited, and motivated, Democrats in Lancaster city's Binns Park. The two-term Kansas governor, representing the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama,......

Gazing eyes in Penn Square turned upward Wednesday afternoon as a single steel beam — painted white — was hoisted into place atop the former Watt & Shand building.In a topping-off ceremony that drew close to 200 business leaders, politicians and project supporters, the last......

Shawn O'Connell had a look of fierce concentration on his face as the massive wheels of his forklift churned up great gouts of mud and water and he threaded a bucket handle with several tons of machinery.Pouring rain may have turned the 12th annual ABC Construction Rodeo into a swampy ......

It's the perfect time to celebrate a 100th anniversary, say the members of Conestoga Lodge 140 of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks."It's an honor to be in an organization like this — particularly at this time," said the Elks' state president,......

As burgers sizzled on the grill, hungry Lancaster residents lined up at Water Street Rescue Mission's Community Cookout to sink their teeth into the tasty meal Friday afternoon. ...

People may not call them WAMs anymore, but the bottom line is that local legislators gave out more than $3 million in discretionary funds during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Once referred to as walking around money, or WAMs, those funds now come under the purview of the state Department of Commun......

Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin, on their way to Lancaster for an afternoon rally today, will portray themselves here as reformers who will "drain the Washington swamp" and fight special interests, aides and recent appearances suggest. The GOP presidential nominee will renew h......

Whether or not Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the best choice as Sen. John McCain's running mate depends on whom you ask.Some suggest that Palin, the first woman chosen by the GOP to run for vice president, looked like a good option after the McCain camp reviewed polls indicating a signifi......

Five Lancaster County residents took their place Monday among the Democratic Party delegates who have converged on the "Mile High City" of Denver.On the opening day of the Democratic National Convention, in which Michelle Obama gave the keynote address, talking about her first me......

Democrats gathering for their party's convention in Denver this week will pay homage to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's historic run for president — then finally unite behind soon-to-be nominee Barack Obama, local delegates said today. "We'll have an opportunity, as I see it, for people to ce......

Last week's column hailing Pennsylvania's school funding overhaul prompted good questions from reader Tim Wentworth of Manheim Township.In the column, I explained that the Legislature finally recognized something'......

Officials at Lancaster County school districts find themselves in a frustratingly familiar situation this year.They must adopt 2008-09 budgets and establish property tax rates for their residents without knowing how much money the state will give them to run their schools.In Februar......

Ambivalence.That word best describes Titus Peachey's reaction to the international treaty signed by 111 countries at the end of May to boycott cluster bombs.Cluster bombs scatter smaller explosives across a battlefield. Most units explode, but sometimes a few duds are left behin......

Sam Beiler could have taken his pretzel empire anywhere, but he never considered moving Auntie Anne's anywhere other than downtown Lancaster.The public got a view of the company's new headquarters Friday, at the historic former Lancaster Post Office building at Chestnut and Prince ......

Elections are the purest means of holding government officials accountable.And if you desire accountability, it's essential to have as many competitive races as possible each November.Sadly, Pennsylvania has about as many truly competitive contests this year as the Phillies have......

In what might be a first in the nation, Pennsylvania received approval to use federal Medicaid money to pay for support programs for autistic adults and their caregivers.•••The road from diagnosis to college has been long for the Snyder......

In the first report done on Lancaster County's Latino community, Hispanic leaders today called for sweeping but short-term initiatives to improve the lives of the county's largest minority population. Among the recommendations they believe could be completed within six months are:...

Lancaster Public Library is gearing up for its huge spring book sale in the Overlook Activities Center in Overlook Park set for next week.More than 200,000 books will be for sale at the three-day fundraiser that is visited annually by more than 6,000 readers."We have some reall......

Just a few minutes before 9 p.m., half a dozen television screens in Villa Nova West tuned to CNN declared Hillary Clinton the winner of Pennsylvania's hard-fought Democratic primary.The room full of local Clinton supporters in the Columbia Avenue restaurant erupted in applause, raisin......

State Rep. Mike Sturla's campaign finance records have been subpoenaed as part of a grand jury investigation into a Scranton millionaire casino owner's alleged mob connections.In 2005, nearly one-quarter of Sturla's campaign contributions came from Mount Airy Casino Resort owne......

Bill Neff, candidate for the state Senate seat in the 13th Legislative District, on Sunday did what any Republican would do two days before Pennsylvania's primary election.He and his wife, Barbara, left on a 10-day "religious pilgrimage" to Europe with about 50 other members ......

"I was never political," Danny McFadden said. "... I never really even voted." He will this year. For Barack Obama. McFadden, of Lancaster, was in the crowd of thousands — Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray estimated it at 6,000 to 8,000 — who flocked to the Lan......

It didn't take long for Sen. Barack Obama to invoke the same "fierce urgency of now" that drove the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to fight for change in his time.For Obama, the "urgency of now" refers to an immediate need for change in the way America does business....

Seventy-two years ago, the state Legislature levied a tax on alcohol to help finance relief efforts after the St. Patrick's Day flood in Johnstown. "It's no longer an emergency in Johnstown," as Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray puts it. Not a water emergency, anyway. But li......

Difficult as the situation may be in Lancaster, it could be worse. City officials are still tallying figures from 2007, but in 2006, a total of 630 properties, assessed at $560 million, were exempt from city real estate taxes. They included churches and charities, state and local government pro......

Prepare yourself for Obama-mania, Lancaster County. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, whose rock star-like status and popularity among young voters vaulted him ahead in the bruising Democratic primary race, will campaign here on Monday. The Illinois Democrat is expected to appear here, likely after ......

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton on Monday unveiled a package of proposals aimed at easing the country's housing crisis and boosting consumer confidence."Our housing crisis at heart is an American dream crisis," the New York senator told a University of Pennsyl......

Who'd have thought it possible?Pennsylvania could play a key role in deciding the Democratic presidential candidate, and eight local people are waiting to see which of them will be part of that process.Pennsylvania's primary is usually too late in the campaign to make any di......

Years of marketing Lancaster County as a buggy-ride-shoofly-pie place have paid off. The county is well known for its Amish-themed attractions, said Christopher Barrett, president of the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau. Now, local tourism promoters are working to add......

Everyone knows what Democratic strategist James Carville thinks about residents of our fair state: "Pittsburgh to the west, Philadelphia to the east, and Alabama in between." Gov. Ed Rendell apparently feels that way, too — albeit to a lesser extent. "You've got conservative whites h......

Pennsylvania's primary may still be 10 weeks away, but passion for presidential politics is running deep among local Democrats.And if the lists of delegates for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are any indication, local Democratic leadership is divided on who could best represent the p......

Bitter adversaries just four days ago, leaders for House Democrats and Republicans brokered compromise legislation Monday evening to comprehensively alter the state's open-records law.House lawmakers unanimously agreed to the compromise, which would protect identities and business inte......

How bizarre are things in Harrisburg? Quite.Last month, Republicans lined up in support of a plan would eliminate school property taxes for senior homeowners earning $40,000 or less, and Democrats cried "foul" because the plan left out every other homeowner.Then last week,......

Democrats, who control the state House by one vote, appear coy about debating school property tax reform just one week after unsuccessfully trying to push several bills through the bitterly divided chamber.Last week, a Republican measure that would completely eliminate property taxes for m......

Gov. Ed Rendell's plan to provide $400 tax rebates to Pennsylvania's working poor faces a high hurdle with Senate Republicans, whose leader says he favors tax relief for more than just low-income earners.Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, a Delaware County Republican, said he ......

Lancaster County public schools are in line for a hefty 5.6 percent increase in state funding as part of a proposed $28.3 billion 2008-09 budget outlined Tuesday by Gov. Ed Rendell.The increases would range from a low of 3 percent for Solanco School District to almost 17 percent for School......

Once the most powerful Republican in the state House, Rep. John Perzel re-emerged this week with a proposal that may derail Democratic plans to provide broadly based property tax cuts.What's being called "Perzel's amendment" passed 159-36 with strong bipartisan support Tu......

If you wanted a clearer picture Saturday of who will emerge in the Republican primary to replace retiring state Sen. Gibson E. Armstrong, well, the only words I can offer are: "Not yet."Although local businessman Lloyd Smucker was the top votegetter in the straw poll taken by loc......

There's something noticeably absent in this year's local legislative campaigns: Democrats.No Democrat, except for incumbent state Rep. Mike Sturla, has stepped up to campaign for the state Legislature.So far, that is.Bruce Beardsley, chairman of the Lancaster County D......

It's unanimous. Every state representative in the county is running for another two-year term. State Reps. Tom Creighton, Gordon Denlinger, Dave Hickernell, Mike Sturla and Katie True all said in interviews today that they are seeking re-election. They join state Reps. John Bea......

Republican Steve McDonald's state Senate campaign is getting a big boost from former U.S. Rep. Pat Toomey, whose popularity among conservatives here nearly helped him beat U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter three years ago. Toomey endorsed McDonald's bid for the 13th District seat being vacated by......

One year ago, a film set in western Pennsylvania would probably have been filmed in upstate New York, simply because of the northern state's more attractive tax incentive program.But the tide has quickly turned.Today, a filmmaker is more likely to seek out Pennsylvania for a mov......

It would be hard to decipher what's going on in Harrisburg these days without considering it in the context of the 2008 legislative elections.A great example is the current row between Republicans and Democrats (including Gov. Ed Rendell) over providing health insurance for the more th......

Gov. Ed Rendell on Tuesday ratcheted up the debate on health care in Pennsylvania by threatening to withhold funds that help some health care providers afford malpractice insurance.Rendell, a Democrat, wants the Legislature to approve his plans to provide health insurance to the more than ......

Several local legislators are questioning the validity of a study that concludes public school education is underfunded by nearly $5 billion a year in Pennsylvania.Four Lancaster County state representatives and one state senator have expressed concerns about the study's accuracy or me......

Leaders of an association of charities are wondering if state Sen. Gibson E. Armstrong is deliberately holding up a bill they believe would help nonprofits raise money, but the senator says that's not the case.The bill, House Bill 169, would boost by thousands of dollars the maximum pa......

It was the haves giving to the have-nots.Wednesday, elected officials from all levels of government met at Water Street Rescue Mission for the mission's annual Great Thanksgiving Banquet.Nearly 300 people had a hardy Thanksgiving meal. Most of them live at the shelter, but the p......

Since 2004, Lancaster-based Auction Inn has helped nonprofit groups sell items online to raise money.It has done so largely unregulated by the government. However, that may soon change.State officials, including some in the Legislature, want those who sell other people's goods o......

The former chairman of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee left his job as a top staffer with the state House Democratic Caucus, according to an Associated Press report Tuesday. Scott Brubaker, who headed the local Democratic Party from 1998 until 2002, was among seven staffers who either......

Alan Williams said he has carried the anger around inside for a long time.When the U.S. Army specialist returned from Vietnam in the late '60s, he and his fellow servicemen were greeted by a country that condemned them, he said — a country that turned its back on those who fought......

At their only political debate this year the six candidates for Lancaster City Council outlined different strategies for stimulating economic development during the next four years.Three four-year terms are up for grabs on Tuesday. The League of Humane Voters sponsored Thursday night's......

Sympathy for the Personal Financial Management mortgage scandal's victims has transitioned into support. State Sen. Mike Brubaker announced today the creation of a help center to provide free, professional and unbiased advice to the 800 families affected by the scam, including 300 in Lancast......

Nearly 600 people affected by the collapse of a local mortgage brokerage company attended a meeting Tuesday night at Highland Presbyterian Church, revealing the depth of the financial crisis.Customers of Personal Financial Management Inc. learned in a letter dated Sept. 14 that they owe te......

Democrats in Harrisburg on Tuesday renewed their fight to provide all uninsured Pennsylvanians with health care, but Republicans once again drew a hard line against the proposals.State Rep. Mike Sturla, a Lancaster Democrat, introduced the Cover All Pennsylvanians bill, which would provide......

State Rep. Mike Sturla, back from a trip to Taiwan sponsored by the government of Taiwan, is embarking on a grand adventure of another sort.The Lancaster Democrat has been tapped by Gov. Ed Rendell to play a lead role in pushing a bill offering every Pennsylvanian affordable health-care co......

The three Republican nominees for Lancaster City Council rolled out their campaign platforms Wednesday with some tough talk about the all-Democrat city government.At the two-hour meet-and-greet in Mulberry Art Studios, R.B. Campbell, a business broker and real-estate agent, took City Counc......

They could have just sent a congratulations card. Instead, state officials are sending a check. Pennsylvania economic development officials are providing $300,000 to the Spanish American Civic Association's new La Academia Family & Student Center. The $1.2 million center, at 38-42 N. A......

Yo. Scofflaws. The days when you can just park your cars willy-nilly on city streets, shrug off the meters and tear up those small pink tickets tucked in your windshield wipers — and get away with it — appear to be numbered. Lancaster Mayor Rick Gray, working with state lawmake......

A sizable grant announced Wednesday promises to put Charles Demuth's work right where it belongs: on his walls.The Demuth Museum, devoted to the Precisionist artist's life and work, is appropriately situated — in his childhood home at 120 E. King St.But the museum never had en......

Hazleton Mayor Louis J. Barletta received a standing ovation after his speech to a packed house Wednesday at a Rotary Club luncheon.Not everyone, however, was sold on his approach to the problem of illegal immigration.Outside the Farm and Home Center, where the luncheon was held, ab......

State Sen. Gibson E. Armstrong said Tuesday a letter released weeks ago by someone looking to unseat him next year has prompted thousands of dollars in donations to his campaign."I hope he sends another letter out next week," Armstrong said regarding a letter Republican Steve McD......

No. 404 South Duke St. has had its share of transformations.The three-story building, constructed sometime between 1886 and 1892, housed a bakery, apartments and even a smattering of offices before water damage from its sprinkler system vacated its occupants.And after recent renovat......

The state House and Senate Monday approved a $27.2 billion state budget, more than two weeks after a deadline imposed by the state constitution.The budget — which would run until June 30, 2008, and raise spending by about 3.2 percent over the 2006-07 spending plan — now goes to......

A bill that would have barred smokers from lighting up in Pennsylvania's restaurants, bars and casinos stalled Monday as the state Senate overwhelmingly rejected the House's version of the measure, delaying final passage until at least the fall.Senate Republican Leader Dominic Pileggi cite......

Consumers soon may be able to buy Pennsylvania wines in farmers markets.A bill sponsored by state Rep. Tim Solobay, a Washington County Democrat, would add farmers markets to the list of venues where wines produced by Pennsylvania vineyards may be sold.Wine tastings also would be pe......

Fran Rodriguez sees plenty of Lancaster city children playing baseball and other organized sports.What she doesn't see is a lot of those kids hiking or fishing or canoeing."Our kids are very athletically minded," said Rodriguez, 44, who is state Rep. Mike Sturla's ......

Legislators and Gov. Ed Rendell brokered a deal to end the state budget impasse Monday night, allowing state workers to return to their jobs one day after nearly 24,000 people were sent home without pay.Scores of state parks, state-run museums and driver-license offices around the state th......

Republicans and Democrats returned to Harrisburg Monday to renew negotiations after both sides failed to finalize the state budget by Saturday's deadline.And what did Monday produce?"A goose egg," said state Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Gibson Armstrong, a Refton Republi......

The state Senate Tuesday approved a ban on indoor smoking that includes a lengthy list of exemptions, defying efforts by health organizations and the governor to scuttle the legislation.Despite Gov. Ed Rendell's threat to veto the bill and lobbying by a coalition that included the Amer......

The state House Education Committee today is scheduled to consider a package of bills that could help rural and urban school districts attract and retain teachers.The five bills, all co-sponsored by state Rep. Mike Sturla, a Lancaster city Democrat, could benefit School District of Lancast......

Smokers, don't put away those lighters and cigarettes just yet.Lawmakers in Harrisburg are moving to make public places, such as restaurants and bars, smoke-free, but many legislators anticipate a bundle of exemptions will be added to existing bills before they face a vote.Thursday,......

A divided Pennsylvania Legislature is feeling pressure not only to pass a budget before the June 30 deadline, but also to act on Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell's sweeping new reform proposals.The state Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a $27 billion state budget plan drastically di......

State Auditor General Jack Wagner prompted lawmakers Thursday to pass a bill that would require inspections to make sure retail gasoline sold in Pennsylvania contains accurate octane levels.Wagner, who said he received complaints of tainted gas at least five times in the past five months, ......

Last year, filmmakers spent $80 million in Pennsylvania.State Rep. Mike Sturla of Lancaster believes that number could be multiplied many times over if the state government made Pennsylvania financially attractive to the companies that make movies."We're centrally located to the maj......

Caroline Soto used to hang out at a small playground at Duke Manor Apartments when she lived there a couple of years ago.But Caroline, 15, didn't like what she saw: deteriorating equipment, chipped paint and "inappropriate" graffiti on a banged-up slide.On Tuesday, she......

The mayors of Pennsylvania cities are looking for ways to get tough on criminals who use guns — and have turned to the governor for support.Speaking at a Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities news conference in Harrisburg Tuesday, Gov. Ed Rendell called on the General Asse......

Lancaster's Mayor Rick Gray swore in a new city treasurer during Tuesday's city council meeting.Cheryl D. Holland-Jones was named to succeed attorney Brook Duer, who was elected in November 2005. Duer, who attended Tuesday's council meeting, said he was leaving the job after being named to......

When it came to Act 1, Lancaster County voters just said "no.""This was a train wreck from the get-go," Republican state Rep. Katie True of East Hempfield Township said.In Tuesday's primary election, voters here overwhelmingly rejected Gov. Ed Rendell's t......

A bill to create a permanent asthma tracking system in Pennsylvania is back on the table.State Rep. Mike Sturla worked for years to get legislative backing to permanently fund a tracking system. Last year, a bill passed the House, but it died at the end of the session without Senate approv......

It's a law meant to lower property taxes.It may, however, raise taxes for a majority of Lancaster County residents.It's meant to help seniors — scraping by with little annual income — save some money.It may, however, mean anyone who rents the place in whic......

While one state lawmaker from Lancaster County introduced a resolution Tuesday to honor a fallen firefighter, another advocated for funneling more money toward emergency responders.State Rep. John Bear, a Lititz Republican, authored a resolution to designate Sunday as Joseph Kempf Day, hon......

Republican state lawmakers from Lancaster County on Friday slammed Gov. Ed Rendell's plans to raise taxes this year, saying residents would bear the burden of paying an extra $2.5 billion.The new money would come from seven new or increased taxes proposed by the Democratic governor to ......

As the number of unserved warrants in Lancaster County climbs to tens of thousands, local officials say they have had enough.Those officials expect increased manpower and funding, plus a series of upcoming sweeps, to drastically trim the county's hoard of outstanding warrants.Ac......

The idea of giving vouchers to parents to send their children to a school of their choice has been around since the mid-1950s.But William Darity, an economist speaking at Millersville University recently, said adding a means-tested wrinkle to the school vouchers debate could bridge a long-......

Lancaster County residents are mobilizing to help save a deer raised by a Conestoga Township woman and have sought the governor's help in sparing the fawn's life.Irene Brown, 90, has been taking care of the rare, 10-month-old piebald deer she named Baby since shortly after its birth....

Gov. Ed Rendell unveiled detailed proposals Monday for changing not only how state government operates but also the way in which some members are elected.Rendell's six-pronged plan, revealed during a speech at Pennsylvania Press Club in Harrisburg, includes downsizing the 253-member Le......

Republicans in the state House, including Rep. Tom Creighton of Rapho Township, plan to introduce a package of bills today aimed at addressing illegal immigration in Pennsylvania.The package — dubbed the National Security Begins at Home Illegal Immigration Package — would depri......

U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts has entered the growing fray between Congress and the White House over the No Child Left Behind Act, which is up for renewal this year.Pitts, a Chester County Republican who represents Lancaster County, co-sponsored a resolution Thursday that would allow individual stat......

After two days of often-cantankerous debate, members of the state House of Representatives Tuesday unanimously passed a package of new rules designed to change the way legislative business is conducted.Among the reforms are:Establishing a 24-hour waiting period between the time......

Although they sit on opposite sides of the state House, Democratic Rep. Mike Sturla and Republican Rep. Scott Boyd have jointly authored a resolution that marks April 4 as Thaddeus Stevens Day.This year marks Stevens' 215th birthday. The resolution passed Tuesday, 197-0."Th......

An undisclosed number of arrests have been made in the investigation into who shot 7-year-old Brianna Pratt of Lancaster more than two months ago, city police said in a press release Friday.Investigators, including Lancaster County District Attorney Donald Totaro, will hold a media confere......

There may be no "I" in team, but there's one on Jere Swarr's voter registration card.Swarr, a Rapho Township supervisor running for Lancaster County commissioner, said he visited the county Board of Elections Wednesday to change his party affiliation from Republican to in......

Several animal-welfare groups have banded together to endorse legislation banning live pigeon shoots.The Humane League of Lancaster, Humane Society of Berks County, Bucks County SPCA, Chester County SPCA, Humane League of Lebanon County and Humane Society of Harrisburg Area are encouraging......

State lawmakers are poised to vote March 12 on a list of 30 proposed changes that would alter how the House of Representatives conducts business at the Capitol.The new rules — approved within the last month by the 24-member House Commission on Legislative Reform — would affect ......

Residents and businesses in Lancaster city and other municipalities throughout the state could enjoy free or low-cost Internet access under legislation proposed by state Rep. Mike Sturla.If passed, House Bill 327 would allow municipalities to establish wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi) syst......

State legislators and education advocates agree Pennsylvania's education funding system is broken.According to the state Department of Education, the percentage of school districts' funding that comes from the state is far below the national average and nearly at the bottom of the ......

A surge of gang violence in Pennsylvania has prompted six state House Democrats, including Rep. Mike Sturla, to resume efforts at passing a bill to take on the problem.Sturla and the other Democrats reintroduced a bill Monday that would make membership in a violent gang punishable with a 2......

Lawmakers and gay-rights advocates fired opening salvos Tuesday in a battle over how marriage should be defined in Pennsylvania's constitution.

Legislators led by state Rep. Scott Boyd, a Lampeter Republican, introduced a House bill to begin amending the the state constitution so it w...

I don't think Nevin Cooley gets it.

He's all for the public investing a fortune to help make the proposed $129 million Penn Square hotel and convention center project viable. But he can't abide the people asking questions.

The project, or more specifically, the ever...

OCCUPATION: State representative

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, University of Kansas

QUALIFICATIONS: Former member, city council, county planning commission; former small-business owner; state representative serving on evaluation, appropriations, finance, children & youth committees; le...

Home: Lancaster City

Age: 48

Occupation: State representative

Education: Bachelor’s, University of Kansas

Qualifications: Former member of city council and county planning commission; former small business owner; current State R......