ERIE COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA

May 09 2026POLITICS

Pet Store Bans: A Problem, Not a Solution

Pennsylvania lawmakers are debating bills that would stop pet shops from selling dogs and cats sourced from professional breeders. The idea is that this move will shut down puppy mills, but the evidence shows otherwise. When states like New York and California enacted similar bans, they ended up har

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May 06 2026TECHNOLOGY

AI chatbots playing doctor? Pennsylvania draws the line

Pennsylvania just filed a lawsuit against Character. AI, a company that lets users create and chat with AI personalities. The state says some of these characters were pretending to be real doctors—complete with fake credentials and license numbers. One character named Emilie claimed to be a psychiat

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May 05 2026POLITICS

Pennsylvania fights back against abortion pill restrictions

Pennsylvania’s governor recently joined forces with 20 other states to push back against a court ruling that limits how abortion pills can be given out. The federal appeals court in Louisiana decided that mifepristone, a common abortion medication, can only be handed out in person at clinics. This m

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May 01 2026ENTERTAINMENT

May in Erie: Shows, Laughs and Birdwatching

Erie’s spring calendar bursts with music, comedy and nature. On May 1 the Warner Theatre hosts Anne Wilson’s new album launch, while a comedy night at Kellar’s Magic Club features Greg Warren. The next day, the same venue shows a stand‑up by Basile and a special piano concert of Britten’s War 

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Apr 15 2026POLITICS

Keeping Great Teachers in Pennsylvania’s Classrooms

Pennsylvania is spending time and money to train new teachers, but too many leave after just a few years. That waste of resources hurts students the most. Two lawmakers—one who became a teacher and another who went into public service—teamed up to propose a solution. They believe the state should in

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Apr 12 2026POLITICS

Why Pennsylvania’s Energy Bills Keep Rising

Pennsylvania sits on a goldmine of energy resources—gas, coal, nuclear, and even strong wind and solar potential. Yet households here pay some of the highest electricity bills in the country, despite sitting on top of so much energy wealth. Between 2018 and 2023, the cost per kilowatt hour jumped ne

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Apr 11 2026LIFESTYLE

Pennsylvania’s barns get a modern makeover on license plates

Pennsylvania’s famous bank barns, those sturdy structures perched on hillsides with one side built into the slope, are now rolling around on license plates. The state has launched a new special fund plate featuring this iconic barn design, letting drivers carry a piece of rural history with them eve

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Apr 09 2026POLITICS

Pennsylvania’s fundraising race: who’s really ahead?

Pennsylvania’s political money game just wrapped up its first financial quarter, and the numbers tell a clear story about where support is coming from. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican, pulled in over a million dollars from January to March, but fell far behind Democratic Governor Josh Sh

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Apr 04 2026OPINION

Teachers Need a Reading Roadmap

Pennsylvania schools face a tough truth: only about one in three fourth‑graders can read well. The gap is even wider for Black and Hispanic kids, with just 16% meeting the standard. When children reach third grade, they stop learning how to read and start reading to learn. If they cannot read, their

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Apr 01 2026POLITICS

Pennsylvania Faces Rising Energy Bills Amid Fossil‑Fuel Focus

Pennsylvania families are feeling the strain of higher energy costs, a result of national policies that favor oil and gas over cleaner options. The state’s average household now faces extra expenses each year, with electricity prices up sharply after recent federal shifts toward fossil fuels. The

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