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Meek Mill joins Gov. Shapiro in Philly to celebrate signing of probation reform bill

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Meek Mill joins Gov. Shapiro in Philly to celebrate signing of probation reform bill


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Pennsylvania’s probation requirements are changing under a pair of bills signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro at the Constitution Center Friday afternoon. He also signed a measure to automatically clear criminal records for individuals who receive a pardon.

Shapiro was joined by Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill, who has advocated for probation reform for years after he was harshly punished for his probation violation in 2017. Mill was sentenced to two to four years in prison for violating his probation related to a 2008 gun and drug case.

Pa. Governor Josh Shapiro signs justice reforms bill 898 into law surrounded by activists and other lawmakers at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on December 15, 2023. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
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Mill is co-chair for the REFORM Alliance, which has fought to change what they call the “supervision-to-prison” pipeline. He spoke tearfully at times Friday about the struggle returning citizens often face maintaining the probation restrictions put in place.

“Every time I [crossed] the Ben Franklin to go pick my mom up to take my son to school in New Jersey, I was actually committing a crime the whole time from technical violations,” he said.

“I didn’t ask for this position. I don’t want to do it. It’s not for clout. It’s something that I stand for. It’s something that I live for, and I appreciate y’all for helping me.”

The legislation requires mandatory probation review conferences after two years or 50% of a probation sentence, whichever is shorter. It also calls for felony probation reviews after four years or 50% of the sentence.



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Pennsylvania

Bill to ensure access to contraception advances in Pennsylvania, aided by dozens of GOP House votes

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Bill to ensure access to contraception advances in Pennsylvania, aided by dozens of GOP House votes


Planned Parenthood PA Advocates executive director Signe Espinoza called the proposal “an enormous shift toward control over our bodies.”

“We must have control over if and when we decide to start our families, but Pennsylvania has for too long allowed loopholes, exemptions and oversights to stand between us and our autonomy,” Espinoza said in a statement.

Rep. Krueger said in an interview Monday that she also was concerned about Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion in the U.S. Supreme Court decision on abortion access two years ago. Thomas wrote that the Supreme Court “should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents,” including cases that found married people have the right to obtain contraceptives, people can engage in private, consensual sex acts and the right to same-sex marriage.

A state law could help people obtain contraceptives if federal law changes, Krueger said.

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“We have seen that access to reproductive health care, including contraception, is coming down to a state’s rights issue,” Krueger said.

In other states, contraception has been a politically contentious issue. A review earlier this month by the Guttmacher Institute, which advocates for abortion access, found several states have proposed or enacted laws to reduce access to contraception this year.

KFF, a nonprofit that studies health care issues, said in May that 14 states have legal or constitutional protections for the right to contraception, with six states and Washington, D.C., enacting them since the high court’s decision on abortion in June 2022.



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Pennsylvania

Pa. woman who drowned after being swept over waterfall in Glacier National Park is ID’d

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Pa. woman who drowned after being swept over waterfall in Glacier National Park is ID’d


A 26-year-old Pennsylvania woman drowned after being swept over a waterfall on the east side of Glacier National Park in Montana, park officials said.

National Park Service officials on Tuesday identified the victim as Gillian Tones from North Apollo in western Pennsylvania’s Armstrong County. She was remembered as caring and kind, triblive.com reported.

Tones fell into the water above St. Mary Falls at around 5:20 p.m. Sunday. She was washed over the 35-foot (11-meter) tall waterfall and trapped under water for several minutes, the park said in a statement.

Bystanders pulled Tones from the water and administered CPR until emergency responders arrived. She was declared dead at 7 p.m., park officials said.

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The death is under investigation, and an autopsy was planned.

Her name was initially withheld until family members could be notified.

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in Glacier National Park, according to the National Park Service.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.



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Conestoga Road Closing Weekdays For 2 Months In Radnor: PennDOT

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Conestoga Road Closing Weekdays For 2 Months In Radnor: PennDOT


RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — Conestoga Road in Radnor Township will have a weekday closure due to Aqua Pennsylvania work for about two months, PennDOT said.

According to PennDOT, a weekday closure is scheduled on Conestoga Road between Lowrys Lane and Glenbrook Avenue in Radnor.

The closure will be in place weekdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Monday, July 1 to Friday, Aug. 30,

During the closure, drivers will be detoured, using Sproul Road/Route 320, Lancaster Avenue/U.S. 30, and County Line Road.

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Local access will be maintained up to the work zone.

Drivers are advised to allow extra time when traveling through or near the work area because backups and delays will occur.

All scheduled activities are weather dependent.



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