Pennsylvania
Pa. House gives this sweet treat its chef’s kiss of approval as the state candy
When you represent “the sweetest place on Earth,” you fight for the Kiss over its dreaded rival, the Peep.
Rep. Tom Mehaffie of Dauphin County is making a second run to cement the iconic Hershey’s Kiss as the official state candy.
A bill sponsored by Mehaffie, who represents Derry Township, home to the Hershey Company, overwhelmingly passed the House on Tuesday.
But there’s competition.
It’s the same bill that was approved by the House last year, but ignored by the Senate, where it faces a competing measure to make Bethlehem-made Just Born Peeps Pennsylvania’s official treat.
“I had a lot of interest from quite a few senators,” Mehaffie said Tuesday about the prospect of his bill finally making it to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. “I think we’re getting more and more interest in the Senate.”
The designation of the Kiss as the state’s official candy is “based on their continued production in Pennsylvania,” Mehaffie said, noting that roughly 70 million kisses are produced each day with locally-sourced milk, helping to keep Pennsylvania’s dairy industry afloat.
The Kiss was first introduced by Hershey in 1907.
The final vote on Mehaffie’s bill was 150-to-53, a better margin of support than last year. And it passed with no debate – unlike a year ago, when some House members questioned the wisdom of giving official preference to one candy, and others pointed out Hershey’s history of labor disputes and off-shoring of some production.
But Mehaffie pointed out that the company just opened a new production facility in Derry Township, bringing more jobs into the commonwealth
“They’re spending a lot of capital in doing what they do, especially with the new expansion,” Mehaffie said. “The other thing that it does, that most people don’t know, is that it supports the Milton Hershey School.”
The Milton Hershey School, which serves disadvantaged children, is funded by a trust that holds the bulk of Hershey’s corporate stock.
The competitor to Mehaffie’s bill comes from Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh County, seeking the same state candy status for Peeps, a product of Bethlehem-based Just Born.
Pennsylvania might not yet have an official state candy, but it has a state flower (mountain laurel), beverage (milk) and dog (Great Dane).
Lawmakers spent years discussing the issue of an official state amphibian before finally moving on to legislation in 2019, giving the Eastern Hellbender that status.
Some shoppers across the Philadelphia region may have to change where they get their groceries.
Grocery Outlet announced that it is closing dozens of stores for good soon.
The chain explained that the changes in SNAP benefits are driving away their main customer base.
Eight stores are shutting their doors from Chester County all the way down to Cape May County.
Grocery Outlets closing in New Jersey
- 4004 Route 130, Delran
- 401 Harmony Road, Gibbstown
- 190 Hamilton Commons Drive Mays, Landing
- 3174 Route 9, Suite 5, Rio Grande
- 677 Berlin Cross Keys Road, Sicklerville
Grocery Outlets closing in Pennsylvania
- 345 Scarlett Road, Kennett Square
- 2017 West Oregon Avenue, Philadelphia
- 2524 Welsh Road, Philadelphia
Friday, March 6, 2026 7:13PM
WEST CALN TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Investigators have revealed the cause of a plane crash that killed a Chester County school board president two years ago.
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed it on inadequate preflight inspection.
There was a loss of engine power because the fuel was contaminated with water from a recent rainfall, the NTSB said.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff in West Caln Township on February 1, 2024.
Octorara Area School District School Board President Sam Ganow was killed when a small plane crashed Thursday in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
The pilot, Sam Ganow, was the only one onboard.
He was the Octorara Area School District board president.
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A Pennsylvania man was arrested on animal cruelty charges for allegedly feeding marijuana and beer to his pet parakeet after bringing the injured feathered friend to a bar, according to reports.
Timothy Grace, 40, was busted on Feb. 21 after carrying his wounded pet budgie named “Blue Skies” in his pocket to Callaghan’s Bar in Greensburg, according to CBS Pittsburgh.
“The caller’s a bartender. She says there is a white male at the bar with a parakeet,” a dispatcher reported on the police radio transmissions obtained by the outlet.
“The patron was bragging to other people that were inside the bar that he feeds the parakeet marijuana and has it drink beer on a daily basis,” Detective Sergeant Justin Scalzo told the outlet.
Grace “appeared extremely intoxicated” when police showed up to the bar and found the pet bird in distress, according to court documents obtained by the outlet.
“Its leg appeared to be broken,” Scalzo said, according to WTAE. “Its foot was actually facing the wrong direction.”
Grave was initially arrested for public intoxication and now faces charges including aggravated cruelty to animals and transporting animals in a cruel manner, the outlet said.
The pet bird was brought to PEARL Parrot Rescue in the Pittsburgh area, which rushed him to an emergency care facility.
Blue Skies spent four days in the hospital and was later taken in to be fostered by Teri Grendzinski, the president of PEARL. The injured parakeet is still breathing hard, remains on antibiotics, and has to wear a splint on his right leg, CBS reported.
“They realized his leg was broken. He also had some respiratory issues going on,” Grendzinski told the outlet. “He was also very, very skinny.”
“The leg was broken badly enough there is a chance they’re going to have to amputate the leg if it doesn’t heal correctly,” she added.
If Blue Skies is eventually put up for adoption, he will require specialized care, the outlet said.
“When we got that call, it was horrifying. Why would you do that to a bird?” Grendzinski said.
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