Pennsylvania

DOJ settlement will bring new protections for people with opioid use disorder in Pa. courts

Published

2 years ago

February 14, 2024

DOJ settlement will bring new protections for people with opioid use disorder in Pa. courts

This story originally appeared on Spotlight PA.

A recent settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and the Pennsylvania court system offers new protections to people who county courts allegedly barred from taking medications for opioid use disorder.

The agreement follows the DOJ alleging the system forced some people under court supervision into a lose-lose scenario: Give up medication prescribed by a doctor or risk going to jail.

Advocates celebrated the settlement, which requires that three county court systems adopt an anti-discrimination policy for substance use disorder medications and that statewide court administrators encourage all other county court systems to do the same.

While still denying the claims, officials overseeing Pennsylvania’s court system agreed to pay $100,000 total to individuals allegedly harmed by the restrictions. Statewide court administrators must also provide training to all judges handling criminal matters and report on which counties agree to adopt the anti-discrimination policy.

“This case makes it clear that those practices are illegal, they’re dangerous, and they need to stop,” Sally Friedman, an attorney with the advocacy group the Legal Action Center, told Spotlight PA. “And I think other courts around the country are going to pay attention.”

Sonya Mosey is one of the people whose complaint prompted the Justice Department lawsuit. In a previous Spotlight PA story, she described how an opioid use disorder medication ban in Jefferson County in 2018 led her to fear she would relapse and die.

After she learned of the settlement, she cried on the way to work.

“It was a relief,” she said. “But it was also … a sense of like all this time and we finally got somewhere.”

The Department of Justice lawsuit named as defendants the entire state court system, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and four individual county courts.

The agreement requires three of those county court systems — Blair, Jefferson, and Northumberland — to adopt an agreed upon nondiscrimination policy for medications for opioid use disorder.

The two sides agreed for the state Supreme Court to be dismissed from the case. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s administrative arm agreed to take a number of actions to implement the settlement.

What did the two sides say about the settlement?

Throughout the case, the two sides have offered differing interpretations of the scope of the alleged violations.

Stacey Witalec, a spokesperson for the administrative arm of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, said in a statement that the DOJ claimed violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act were committed by “a few local treatment courts” and that the federal agency “found no systemic” violations.

That description contrasted with how the Department of Justice described the case in earlier legal filings. The agency identified six unnamed individuals who it says were harmed in four counties, and it listed seven other counties that it alleged have or recently had administrative policies restricting the use of opioid use disorder medication.

Those 11 county courts have tens of thousands of people under supervision, many for drug law violations, and there is “thus a high likelihood” that Pennsylvania courts harmed others with opioid use disorder, the Justice Department alleged in a legal filing last September.

The agreement will “alleviate the burden of the ongoing litigation on the courts, who continue to deny the DOJ’s claims,” said Witalec. Under the state constitution, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has “general supervisory and administrative authority” over the lower courts in the state system.

Witalec called Pennsylvania’s court system a national leader for offering effective treatment and rehabilitation opportunities. She said courts here “reiterate their continuing and steadfast commitment to our treatment courts and to providing full access to the justice system and fair and evenhanded treatment to all citizens, including those with disabilities.”

In a news release, the DOJ emphasized the $100,000 compensation the court system agreed to pay, policy changes and recommendations, and training required under the settlement.

“People with opioid use disorder caught up in the criminal justice system should be supported in seeking treatments that can help them attain recovery,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

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Pennsylvania

Man charged after over 100 human skeletal remains found in Pennsylvania home – National | Globalnews.ca

Published

12 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Man charged after over 100 human skeletal remains found in Pennsylvania home – National | Globalnews.ca

A Pennsylvania man has been arrested and is facing more than 500 charges after he was accused of stealing human skulls and “numerous” skeletal remains from an abandoned cemetery on Philadelphia’s outskirts, according to police.

Bones and skulls visible in the back seat of a car near the cemetery led police to the home and storage unit of Jonathan Gerlach, 34, after police had been looking into a string of burglaries.

Investigators checked Gerlach’s licence plates and found that he had been near the cemetery repeatedly during the period when the burglaries occurred.

Officers say the Jan. 6 arrest culminated a months-long investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where at least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been forced open since early November.

After searching Gerlach’s home and storage unit, investigators reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos and other skeletal items.

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“They were in various states. Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf,” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said.

Most of the findings were in Gerlach’s basement, authorities said. They also recovered jewelry believed to be linked to the graves, and a pacemaker that was still attached.

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“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life in that home. It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific. I grieve for those who are upset by this, who are going through this, who are trying to figure out if it is, in fact, one of their loved ones,” Rouse added.

Click to play video: 'Human skull found amid Halloween decor in Florida thrift store'

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Human skull found amid Halloween decor in Florida thrift store

Police say Gerlach targeted mausoleums and underground vaults at the cemetery, which was established in 1855. Gerlach was arrested as he walked back toward his car with a crowbar, police said.

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He also had a burlap bag in which officers found the mummified remains of two small children, three skulls and other bones.

Gerlach then told investigators that he took around 30 sets of human remains and showed them the graves he stole from, police said.

Police believe the remains were also taken from other cemeteries in the region. They are investigating the Human Bones and Skull Selling Group on Facebook, where Gerlach was reportedly tagged and pictured holding a skull.

He was charged with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, along with multiple counts of desecrating a public monument, desecrating a venerated object, desecrating a historic burial place, burglary, trespassing and theft.

Mount Moriah Cemetery released a statement on its Instagram Stories following Gerlach’s arrest, thanking Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, the Yeadon Police Department and the Philadelphia Police Department for “their hard work and dedication to this case.”

“Our team has been working alongside all parties involved and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of the investigation. Please direct any specific questions regarding this case to the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office,” it said.

“Mount Moriah is the largest abandoned cemetery in the United States. Its historic grounds are cared for by a dedicated group of approximately 12 volunteers who show up week in and week out to preserve this space.”

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Gerlach is being held on $1-million bail, and his preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20.

— With files from The Associated Press

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Pennsylvania

Here’s what to try at this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show food court

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Here’s what to try at this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show food court

As we were sequestered around the Expo Hall and Main Hall at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center, guided by Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding and a Benjamin Franklin re-enactor Bill Robling, my mind began to wander to food.

Thursday marked my inaugural visit to the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, the 110th iteration the expo and one that coincided with the 250^th anniversary of the Untied States’ founding. While I and York Daily Record photographer Paul Kuehnel joined a flock of other reporters for the Farm Show’s preview, we were treated to a taste of many of the foods, both new and returning, that would be offered to visitors in the sprawling food court inside the Expo Hall.

Considering I hadn’t had breakfast that morning, I was willing to oblige.

With such an anniversary on the horizon, the Pennsylvania Dairyman’s Association unveiled a flight of red, white and blue milkshake flavors. Newer additions to the menu including pickle pizza from the Pennsylvania FFA and Lion’s Mane coffee from the Pennsylvania Mushroom Farmers, among others.

Here are some of the items the preview provided, as well as what to try when the food court opens at noon on Jan. 9.

Lion’s Mane Mushroom Coffee

Mushrooms are a major cash crop for Pennsylvania, with nearly 60 percent of U.S. production of the crop running through the commonwealth. Lion’s Mane mushrooms, especially, have been linked to brain health benefits thanks to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, according to a published paper by the journal Nutrients.

The coffee itself is a dark roast blended with ground Lion’s Mane mushrooms, and the flavor provides a slight, hearty twang to its benefit. Considering I hadn’t had my own coffee that morning, it provided me with an immediate jolt of energy.

Pierogi

Fun fact: pierogi is plural! A classic done right by the PA Cooperative Potato Growers, Inc., the pierogi are soft, chewy and contain a starchy potato filling that satisfies any craving but doesn’t weigh you down. The pierogi also come with grilled onions on top, which adds a savory boost to keep you wanting more.

Blended Mushroom Steakhouse Burger

Piled high with a mix of mushrooms grown right in Pennsylvania and a slathering of Alabama barbecue sauce, the Pennsylvania Mushroom Farmers offer a burger with a twist. The patty itself is 75 percent grass-fed beef, 25 percent mushroom, and it works. The burger retains the flavor of a traditional all-beef patty while keeping in style with the Pennsylvania Mushroom Farmers’ mission to introduce the state’s cash crop to a variety of dishes. And the Alabama barbecue sauce provides a twang to the ensemble.

Stuffed Baby Bella Mushrooms

Returning to the menu provided by the Pennsylvania Mushroom Farmers, you are provided with four bite-sized mushrooms that come in two flavors: artichoke and spinach and bacon and cheese.

The mushrooms are an excellent snack or starter for the Farm Fest, filled with flavor and firm enough to burst with juices after your first bite.

Potato Doughnut

The granddaddy of them all and a Farm Show staple, the potato doughnut makes its return in its three traditional flavors: plain, powdered and cinnamon sugar. It’s not as flaky as a traditional doughnut, and not as heavy either.

Red, White and Blue Milkshakes

With the 250^th anniversary of the United States’ founding, the The Pennsylvania Dairyman’s Association, a vendor with the Farm Show since 1955, saw fit to roll out a milkshake flight of red, white and bBlue milkshakes to ring in the sestercentennial. The white is a normal vanilla flavor, the red is strawberry and the blue is a raspberry flavor.

The Dairyman’s Association has also made an intentional move this year away from artificial dyes in their milkshakes, shifting to natural dyes to provide the color.

Dave Smith, executive director of the Pennsylvania Dairyman’s Association, said the move had been a goal of the Dairyman’s Association ahead of the nation’s 250^th anniversary.

“That was one of my priorities, to figure out how we could do something like that,” Smith said. “What we found is that (the colors) are not as distinct as what they would have been if they were artificial. It’s more subtle.”

This shift doesn’t affect the flavor one bit. All three options are sweet, thick and delicious, as to be expected.

Plan your trip to the Pennsylvania Farm Show

For more information about the Farm Show, check out the full schedule of events here. The food court opens to the public on Jan. 9 from noon until 9 p.m. with the bulk of the expo running from Jan. 10-17.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania launches new website to combat human trafficking | StateScoop

Published

2 days ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Pennsylvania launches new website to combat human trafficking | StateScoop

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency on Thursday launched a new website aimed at preventing human trafficking and better supporting victims by bringing together resources for first responders, social service providers and members of the public.

The announcement came during Human Trafficking Prevention Month at a roundtable discussion in Philadelphia that included state and local officials, advocates, social service providers and survivors.

The new website, developed with Villanova University’s Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation, provides trauma-informed training materials, guidance on recognizing warning signs of trafficking and information on how to report suspected cases.

“The fight against trafficking begins with coordination and working together to raise awareness of the warning signs, making sure people know where and how to report, strengthening support for survivors, and holding perpetrators accountable,” Kathy Buckley, director of PCCD’s Office of Victims’ Services, said in a press release.

Human trafficking is the crime of using force, fraud or coercion to induce another person to perform labor or sex acts.

According to the Philadelphia Anti-Trafficking Coalition, the number of identified trafficking survivors in the region increased by 23% in 2025 compared to the previous year. The organization cites housing, food assistance, medical care and counseling among the most common needs for survivors

“That’s the goal of our new website and the purpose of this conversation today, shining a light on organizations leading this work and ensuring that all across Pennsylvania, every individual knows there are people and resources dedicated to combating all forms of exploitation,” Buckley said.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 26 states have enacted legislation creating human-trafficking task forces, study groups or similar coordination efforts. Eight of those states — Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri and Rhode Island apply to sex trafficking only, while the others target both labor and sex trafficking.

In 2019, researchers in the Biotechnology and Human Systems studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a Human Trafficking Technology Roadmap aimed at helping federal, state and local agencies to better identify, investigate and prosecute trafficking cases. The report’s recommendations include building tools that automatically analyze large amounts of data, establishing centralized collections of evidence templates and trafficking “signatures,” and developing shared computing systems for law enforcement and courts.

Pennsylvania’s new website builds on efforts by the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro, who announced his reelection bid Thursday, to combat human trafficking. Those include spending $14 million over the past two budget cycles on the Victims Compensation Assistance Program and moving the state’s Anti-Human Trafficking Workgroup under PCCD’s leadership. That group now focuses on training, law enforcement coordination, victim services and public awareness.

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