Free Republic

President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence for longtime Philadelphia union leader John Dougherty. He is set to be released on Friday. Dougherty’s attorney George Bocchetto said the president signed the commutation in “a remarkable show of bipartisanship.” Dougherty was a kingmaker in Democratic city politics, but Bocchetto said his situation — serving time in Lewisburg federal prison, separated from his gravely ill wife Cecilia — cried out for compassion.

Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates (PP PA) announced its endorsement of Governor Josh Shapiro on Thursday. In a post on Facebook, PP PA’s Executive Director, Signe Espinoza wrote, “The choice is obvious for anyone who believes in access to essential health care and the fundamental right to make your own decisions. Planned Parenthood is with Josh Shapiro one hundred percent.”

The richest man in the world, who was laser-focused on delivering Pennsylvania for President Donald Trump in 2024, is wielding his wallet in the Keystone State once again to support Republicans in three swing congressional districts ahead of the midterms. America PAC, Musk’s super PAC, has contributed roughly $12,000 apiece in support of U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, of Lehigh; Rob Bresnahan, of Lackawanna; and Scott Perry, of York — all GOP incumbents facing tough reelection challenges, according to an independent expenditure report filed Wednesday. Though small potatoes in comparison, America PAC’s contributions in Pa. come roughly two years after Musk...

A police officer who shot and killed a New Jersey college student in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, faces criminal charges, officials announced. Upper Pottsgrove Police Corporal Sean Farrell, 58, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, is charged with voluntary manslaughter in connection to the deadly shooting of 22-year-old Glenwood Earl Pysher IV. The shooting occurred on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, around 12:30 a.m. when Cpl. Farrell responded to a report of a man in the back of a home on Snyder Road. According to footage from his body worn camera, Cpl. Farrell walked down the driveway with his department-issued firearm drawn. Farrell positioned himself...

"Challenging." "Criticizing." "Questioning."All the above words would have accurately categorized the attitude of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. towards the lack of transparency by Governor Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) following his claim that lack of vaccinations caused the death from measles of two residents of his state. Instead, Politico chose once again to put its biases on display with its choice of describing Kennedy's reaction as "exploiting," as you can see in Thursday's story by health reporter Carmen Paun in "Shapiro won’t say who died of measles. RFK Jr. is exploiting it."

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — In a unanimous vote, the Franklin County Commissioners voted against renewing the county's contract with Flock Safety amid ongoing concerns over its use of automated license plate reader cameras (LPR). Commissioner Dean Horst said he, personally, has an issue with Flock in the database area in particular, despite moves to reduce the amount of time the data is kept from 30 days to seven days. "I think we're at the point now to where the lack of public trust in the system really concerns me, for us to stay in this conversation much longer," Horst...

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner had some words Tuesday for President Donald Trump's White House ballroom at the annual slavery commiseration at the President's House in Old City. The 24th annual commiseration occurred as city leaders and advocates continue to fight a legal battle to get an exhibit on slavery at the site restored after the Trump administration replaced panels at the exhibit. Krasner, who was one of the speakers at the event, said that President Donald Trump is a "pain in the ass" and an "embodiment of hate, the embodiment of ignorance and the embodiment of depriving people of...

Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman might want to trade in his black hoodie for an elephant badge if he wants to keep his seat in the Senate: New polling suggests that he could find friendlier terrain on the Republican side of the aisle than among the Democrats who elected him. According to a shocking poll from The New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Siena College, Fetterman has become a complete outcast in his own party. The survey reveals Fetterman is underwater at a brutal -41 approval rating with Democrats, while boasting a staggering +52 favorability rating with Republicans. The...

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers remarks at a bill signing event at Cheyney University, an HBCU in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, US, Aug. 2, 2024. Photo: Bastiaan Slabbers via Reuters Connect Pennsylvania voters are broadly comfortable with the pro-Israel positions of two of the state’s most prominent Democratic figures, Gov. Josh Shapiro and US Sen. John Fetterman, according to a new poll that offers a counterpoint to the Democratic Party’s growing divisions over Israel. Nearly half of likely Pennsylvania voters, 47 percent, said Shapiro’s approach to Israel is “about right,” while 43 percent said Fetterman’s outspoken defense of Israel is also “about...

So if you’re keeping score, Josh Shapiro is now opposed to data centers. Loudly and forcefully — for Pennsylvania voters to hear from Allentown to Ligonier, and for progressive Democrats to hear from Des Moines, Iowa, to Charleston, South Carolina. For Pennsylvanians, I understand if you’re confused. After all, Shapiro had been passionately for data centers — making a play to be the national leader and offering tax incentives and expedited concierge service for new applications. ---SNIP--- A governor so lacking in core values that he shamelessly moves from leading a press conference welcoming Amazon’s data centers to posturing TV...

An arrest warrant has been issued for 22-year-old Zymire Hughes, police announced on Thursday.A cross-country manhunt is underway for a man accused of terrorizing people in Center City Philadelphia. "Who's scared now? Who's running now?" District Attorney Larry Krasner asked during a news conference on Thursday. Investigators say 22-year-old Zymire Hughes is the man who was allegedly chasing people around City Hall in the early morning hours, while wearing a Chucky-style Halloween mask. "He's a punk. I mean, that's the bottom line. He's a punk who scared a lot of people for no good reason, and we're not going to...

The suspected masked menace who is accused of terrorizing women around the streets of Philadelphia last week is actively trying to avoid law enforcement, officials said Thursday.

The pilot of a small airplane was killed and two Pennsylvania State Police troopers were injured after the plane collided in midair with a state police helicopter near the Carlisle airport in Pennsylvania's Cumberland Valley on Wednesday evening, officials said. The Cessna 150 airplane crashed into the Bell 407 helicopter, which was conducting a training exercise, shortly before 7 p.m., Pennsylvania State Police Acting Commissioner Col. George Bivens told reporters at a press briefing. The Cumberland County Coroner's Office on Thursday identified the pilot of the Cessna as Dr. Paul Sokoloski, 57, of Hershey, Pennsylvania. He was the sole occupant...

With all precincts reported but still some ballots left to count, Democrats appear to have flipped a conservative state House district north of Pittsburgh. The latest: Democrat Brandon Dukes led by 88 votes against Republican Scott Timko on Tuesday night with over 99% of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press. Provisional and overseas ballots still need to be counted. AP had not called the race as of early Wednesday morning. Why it matters: The apparent flip doesn’t impact Democrats' narrow majority in the state House, but it boosts the party’s momentum heading into the midterms, where Dems are...

Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a sweeping executive order on Tuesday dramatically restricting data center development in Pennsylvania, marking a major shift from his initial embrace of the increasingly unpopular projects. Shapiro, a first-term Democrat running for reelection and a rumored 2028 presidential contender, had been an early champion of data center development in the state, including a $20 billion commitment from Amazon to build at least two data centers in Bucks and Luzerne Counties. Now he is taking a hard-line stance against the burgeoning data center industry he once courted, as proposed projects draw increasing bipartisan backlash across Pennsylvania.

Police say “graphic and dark” evidence leads them to believe two women were killed in Eugene and Raymond Horsch's house. Philadelphia police now believe at least two women were killed inside the decrepit Olney home at the center of a sprawling missing persons investigation, officials said Wednesday — a stunning breakthrough in a probe that began nearly two months ago after a chance encounter near Independence Mall. Inspector Raymond Evers said homicide detectives had recovered photos and videos on hard drives inside the home that appeared to show the deaths of two women who had been reported missing — neither...

Videos found at a "mystery house" in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood show two missing women who are believed to be dead, investigators revealed Wednesday. Philadelphia Police Inspector Raymond Evers shared new details during an afternoon press conference on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026. Evers broke down what started this extensive investigation and what detectives have found so far This all began on June 19, 2026, when a park ranger stopped a BMW on the 600 block of Market Street near Independence Mall that had a male driver and female passenger inside, Evers said. The driver was identified as 44-year-old Eugene Horsch, officials...

Rep. Scott Perry opened up the home stretch of his re-election campaign taking dead aim at progressive Democrats he says will ruin America. Never mind that Janelle Stelson, his opponent in Pennsylvania’s 10th District House race, has consistently portrayed herself as a centrist, more comfortable with the political middle than the extremes. Perry, at a rally of Cumberland County Republicans at a Hampden Township restaurant Monday night, said Stelson, if elected to a new Democratic majority in the House, would be no more than a cog in a very dangerous machine. “These crazy people that are running (on the Democratic...

The investigation of Joe Shymanski's murder began as a missing persons case. It was Sept. 4, 2023, at 7:47 p.m. when sheriff's deputies in Calvert County, Maryland, were called to the home of the well-known photographer. His ex-wife, Heather Snyder, met them in the driveway. She would tell authorities she had arrived by car at about 7 p.m. from her home in Pennsylvania to hand off custody of their then-8-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son. HEATHER SNYDER (bodycam video): Um, I was supposed to return the kids to him. DEPUTY: OK. HEATHER SNYDER: At 7 o'clock tonight ... HEATHER SNYDER (bodycam...

In Philadelphia, the country’s second-poorest big city, the demand for deeply affordable rental housing is a constant. To better meet that need, the Philadelphia Housing Authority launched an ambitious — and costly — plan to remake and expand its vast real estate portfolio. Over eight years, the agency estimates it will spend $6.3 billion to preserve, redevelop, build or acquire roughly 20,000 subsidized units. That translates to an average unit cost of about $315,000 — more than the market value of many Philadelphia homes.