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Oft malfunctioning and maligned Pennsylvania Capitol escalators set to be replaced in East Wing renovation – Pennsylvania Capital-Star

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Oft malfunctioning and maligned Pennsylvania Capitol escalators set to be replaced in East Wing renovation – Pennsylvania Capital-Star


In the words of the late comedian Mitch Hedberg, an escalator can never break; it can only become stairs.

But in the Pennsylvania Capitol, frequent breakdowns of the escalators linking the building’s main floor with its East Wing have proven inconvenient and costly.

For longtime Capitol denizens, finding one or both of the escalators immobile behind a yellow barricade is a running joke. The moving staircases have even taken on a puckish personality, clapping back at lawmakers and journalists on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The state Department of General Services, which manages the Capitol Complex, announced on Wednesday that the days are numbered for the herky-jerky and often idle East Wing escalators.

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Over the next 18 months, DGS plans an overhaul of the East Wing rotunda to replace its large spiral staircase with a 20-person elevator and demolish the escalators to make way for a grand staircase.

The project, slated to cost between $3 million and $4 million will save the state money in the long run, improve the flow of Capitol workers and visitors and provide a safer, more reliable evacuation route in an emergency, DGS secretary Reggie McNeil said in a statement.

“Over the years, the escalators have been plagued by frequent failures, requiring significant maintenance and down time and costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in repair costs,” McNeil said. DGS has spent nearly $250,000 to maintain the escalators over the last five years.

Envisioned as a later addition when the Capitol opened in 1906, the 400,000-square-foot East Wing was finished in 1987. It added nearly 100 legislative offices, hearing rooms, a cafeteria and the Capitol welcome center and gift shop.

The East Wing rotunda, where the current spiral staircase and escalators are, is frequently used for news conferences, rallies, performances and displays. It is among the busiest spaces in the Capitol Complex.

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The renovations will also include upgrades to the cafeteria, including the replacement of existing acoustical ceiling tiles and lighting fixtures with flat-panel LED fixtures, improvements to the ventilation and replacement of kitchen exhaust ductwork.

Original neon lighting in the rotunda, which does not work, will be replaced with modern LED lighting that is more efficient and will provide the ability to change the color of lighting for special events.

Demolition of the spiral staircase and installation of the new elevator is scheduled between July and February 2025. Demolition of the escalators and installation of the new grand staircase will take place between March and August 2025, DGS said.





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Small plane makes emergency landing on interstate in Pennsylvania

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Small plane makes emergency landing on interstate in Pennsylvania


A small airplane made an emergency landing on Interstate 78 in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Saturday morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Rockwell Commander landed at around 9:20 a.m. after reporting engine issues, the FAA said.

The two people onboard were not injured, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Dashcam video of the incident circulating on social media shows the plane flying low overhead before landing on the interstate and slowing down.

Emily Rivera, who posted the video, was traveling from Harrisburg to Lehigh Valley when she saw the plane make the landing.

“Honestly I was in disbelief because I never expected a plane to land in front of me!” Rivera said, adding that she was impressed with how the pilot landed.

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Police said to expect delays in the area and that all traffic eastbound is being detoured onto exit 40. More information will be released later, police said.

The FAA is investigating the incident.



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PENNSYLVANIA DEP TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON HOMER CITY GAS LINE PROJECT

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PENNSYLVANIA DEP TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON HOMER CITY GAS LINE PROJECT


The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has announced a public hearing on a proposed natural gas pipeline project connected with the Homer City Redevelopment site.

The hearing will focus on the proposed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit that is part of the Homer City Pipeline project.  The plan is to install close to six miles of 30-inch diameter natural gas pipeline from an interconnect facility in Burrell Township to the proposed Homer City Redevelopment site in Center township.  The line will run through parts of Burrell, Blacklick and Center Townships.

The hearing will be held May 12th at 5:00 PM at the Indiana Theater.

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Brooklyn baby shooting: Second suspect in killing of 7-month-old girl caught after fleeing to Pennsylvania, sources say | amNewYork

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Brooklyn baby shooting: Second suspect in killing of 7-month-old girl caught after fleeing to Pennsylvania, sources say | amNewYork


Police apprehended on Friday a second suspect tied to the horrific, deadly shooting of 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore on Wednesday afternoon, amNewYork has learned.

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Police apprehended on Friday a second suspect tied to the horrific, deadly shooting of 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, amNewYork has learned.

According to sources familiar with the investigation, the perpetrator was cuffed on Friday afternoon after fleeing to Pennsylvania. Sources identified him as 18-year-old Matthew Rodriguez; he is currently being held in the Keystone State, pending extradition back to New York for prosecution on charges yet to be announced.

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The arrest came 48 hours after Patterson-Moore was shot while being wheeled in her stroller by her mother near the corner of Humboldt and Moore Streets in East Williamsburg at about 1:20 p.m. on April 1. 

The getaway scooter used in the shooting.
The getaway scooter used in the shooting.Photo by Dean Moses

Law enforcement sources said two suspects on a moped rode up to the location and fired the fatal shot before fleeing the scene. Sources said Rodriguez is believed to be the moped’s operator; the alleged shooter, 21-year-old Amuri Greene, was officially charged on Friday with multiple counts of murder.

Patterson-Moore sustained a fatal gunshot wound to her head. Frantic efforts by her parents and bystanders were to no avail; the infant died later on Wednesday afternoon at Woodhull Hospital.

The shooting horrified local residents and the city. Linda Oyinkonyan, the grandmother on Kaori’s mother’s side, said she has been left devastated.

“Heartbroken, horrified. It’s bad, it’s sad, it’s sorrowful, it’s hurtful, it’s nothing you can imagine, nothing, the hurt, the deep hurt,” she said.

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photos of Brooklyn baby killed in shooting
Kaori Patterson-Moore, just 7 months old, was shot and killed by a stray bullet fired in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on April 1, 2026.Obtained by amNewYork

Police said Greene and Rodriguez allegedly crashed their ride two blocks away from the shooting scene. Though Rodriguez was able to avoid capture, Greene was hospitalized with injuries after being thrown from the vehicle. He was subsequently charged at his bedside. 

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced on Wednesday evening an extensive manhunt for the second suspect in the killing. That search ultimately led cops to Pennsylvania, and to Rodriguez on Friday.

 



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