Pennsylvania

Pa. Democrats call on GOP state Senate leaders to raise minimum wage • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Published

1 year ago

January 21, 2025

Pa. Democrats call on GOP state Senate leaders to raise minimum wage • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Twenty one states raised their minimum wages on Jan. 1, but Pennsylvania was not among them.

The minimum wage, the lowest hourly wage employers can legally pay, has remained unchanged at $7.25 an hour since 2010, when the federal minimum wage last increased.

That’s not for a lack of desire or effort to increase it over the last decade and a half. While the Democratic controlled House last year passed a measure to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, it died in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Pennsylvania Democrats say raising the wages of the commonwealth’s lowest-paid workers will again be at the top of their agenda in the 2025-2026 legislative session.

“The fact that Pennsylvania’s minimum wage continues to be $7.25 an hour is just immoral,” House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Montgomery) told reporters when the newly elected House convened for the first time on Jan. 7.

“It’s unconscionable. I can’t imagine with the affordability crisis that we have in this commonwealth, that anyone thinks it’s appropriate to be paying someone $7.25 an hour,” he said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro also said increasing the minimum wage will be top of mind when he introduces his 2025-2026 budget proposal next month. Shapiro’s first two budgets included increases in the minimum wage.

“To strengthen the economy, we need to raise wages. We need to finally pass a minimum wage increase in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said Wednesday at a news conference in Lycoming County.

“I’ve been for it for years, the House passed it two or three times, the Senate has yet to take it up.”

Nearly 68,000 Pennsylvania workers earned minimum wage or less in 2023, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry’s Minimum Wage Advisory Board. Another 800,000 earned between $7.25 and $15 an hour. Those earning minimum wage or less were most likely to be female, white and between 20 and 24 years old, among other attributes.

Yanette Lathrop, senior researcher and policy analyst for the National Employment Law Project, said $7.25 an hour is a poverty wage in Pennsylvania and across the country.

“Even for a single adult without children it’s not enough,” Lathrop said.

The United Way developed the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) model to calculate living wages for families across the country. It estimates the minimum cost of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and technology plus a 10% contingency fund.

Under that model a single full-time worker must earn between $13 and $19 an hour to survive financially in Pennsylvania. A family of four with two adults working full-time, a survival wage is between $16 and $23 an hour.

“The inaction in Pennsylvania and in Congress is essentially dooming the workers who earn the federal minimum wage to poverty,” Lathrop said.

In June 2023, the House passed a bill that would incrementally increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour over the next three years, with ongoing increases keyed to the consumer price index.

Although it received some bipartisan support, with votes from two House Republicans, it was not considered in the GOP-led Senate.

Bradford called on Senate Republicans to make a counter offer.

“We’ve shown what we can pass. What can you pass on the minimum wage? Or do you actually just agree with keeping it at $7.25, an hour? I think that’s a conversation that needs to be out in the public,” Bradford said.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) said in 2023 and repeated last week that although Senate Republicans are open to discussing a “reasonable adjustment” to the minimum wage, $15 an hour is a non-starter.

Pittman said the General Assembly’s focus should instead be on creating more opportunities for businesses and workers.

“The minimum wage debate fails to recognize the importance of maximum wages, which are what actually allow families to grow and prosper across the Commonwealth,” Pittman said in a statement to the Capital-Star. “I continue to struggle with the lack of focus our friends in the House place on initiatives to foster maximum wage job opportunities, such as those that come from the responsible use of our God given natural resources.”

Pittman added, “Until our friends in the House understand a more reasonable number must be put on the table, there is little to deliberate.”

Among the reasons Senate Republicans have opposed a $15 an hour minimum wage is the impact it could have on nonprofit organizations that deliver essential social services, Pittman said.

For those organizations, wages for care workers present a complicated problem in balancing the ability to deliver services to as many clients as possible with the moral obligation to pay a living wage, Anne Gingerich, executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, said.

“We don’t want to send our folks to get public benefits like SNAP or Medicaid,” Gingerich said, adding that many nonprofit organizations have struggled to retain workers as other employers have offered higher wages.

Child care providers and other groups have lobbied successfully for more state funding to support higher wages for workers. The 2024-2025 state budget included $280 million to raise wages for direct support professionals who provide individual care for autistic and intellectually disabled people.

“Our workforce is the most valued asset of all nonprofit organizations,” Gingerich said. “We have long taken the stance that we support efforts that would lead to sustainable wages for those who work for nonprofit organizations and those we serve.”

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) said the Republican position doesn’t dampen Democrats’ sense of urgency to increase minimum wages and he’s hopeful that the parties can reach an agreement on a higher hourly wage and how soon to implement it.

Pennsylvania has lagged behind other states in the region as each of its neighbors has increased minimum wages above $7.25 an hour. Only West Virginia and Ohio remain below $15 an hour and New York leads the group at $15.50 an hour.

That puts employers seeking a stable and reliable workforce at a disadvantage when workers can make considerably more at the same job by crossing the border.

“The ball is really in the court of my colleagues in the Senate Republican caucus,” Costa said, adding that he has had no recent conversations with Republican leaders on the topic. “We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to sit down among the four caucuses and work out a pathway to a higher minimum wage.”

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Rankings Before 2026 PIAA States – FloWrestling

Published

6 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Rankings Before 2026 PIAA States – FloWrestling

Is Pennsylvania the most wrestling-centric state in the country? Does the Keystone State have the most talent? Or even the top talent? Is it harder to win a state title there than anywhere else?

These all are terrific questions, and the answers may vary depending on who you ask and where they’re from, much like our nation’s great pizza debate, where the answers will vary by region.

What we do know for sure, is that Pennsylvania is well-represented in the 2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings, but with the 2026 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys & Girls Individual State Wrestling Championships on the horizon, where do the competitors rank amongst their peers?

If you follow high school wrestling, you’ve probably already heard many of the names, whether it was at past PIAA events, national tournaments, international competition, college recruiting news or signings, etc.

Now, here they are listed by weight class in FloWrestling’s latest Pennsylvania-only rankings.

Among the most recognizable are Bishop McCort senior Bo Bassett (152 pounds), his brother and teammate Melvin Miller (172 pounds) and Adam Waters (189 pounds) from rival school Faith Christian Academy.

As you get ready to see who takes home the titles at the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships, set for March 5-7 at GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, here’s a look at where everyone falls in the pecking order:

What Are The Weight Classes For High School Wrestling In Pennsylvania?

Boys: 107, 114, 121, 127, 133, 139, 145, 152, 160, 172, 189, 215, 285
Girls: 100, 106, 112, 118, 124, 130, 136, 142, 148, 155, 170, 190, 235

Pennsylvania High School Wrestling Rankings Before 2026 PIAA State Championships

As of Feb. 22, 2026

Boys

Girls

When Are The 2026 PIAA Boys & Girls Individual State Wrestling Championships?

The 2026 PIAA Boys & Girls Individual State Wrestling Championships will take place March 5-7, live on FloWrestling and the FloSports app.

The first girls wrestling champions in PIAA action were determined in 2024.

The road back to GIANT Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, began with regional competition across 12 sites (eight boys, four girls) in February (Feb. 20-21; Feb. 22; Feb. 27-28; Feb. 28)

Among the highlights at the 2025 event was Bassett winning his second individual PIAA state championship and helping Bishop McCort to a Class AA runner-up finish behind Faith Christian.

Read more: 2025 PIAA Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets

How To Watch The 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships

Live coverage of the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships on March 5-7 will be broadcast on FloWrestling and the FloSports app, with news, notes, stats and more available on both platforms.

Archives will be available immediately following the conclusion of each match.

If you’re going to be in the area and want to catch the action in person, click here for spectator and ticket information.

Read more: 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships Schedule & Brackets

2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships Brackets

Here’s where you’ll be able to find the brackets for the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships:

2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships Schedule

Here’s a look at when everything is going down:

All Times Eastern

Wednesday, March 4

4-7 p.m. – Media registration
4-7 p.m. – School registration (AA/Girls/AAA)
4-7 p.m. – Qualifying wrestlers’ workout (AA/Girls/AAA) (six mats)
6 p.m. – Officials’ meeting

Thursday, March 5 (Session 1)

7:30 a.m. – Media registration
7:30 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA)
7:30 a.m. – Late school registration (AA)
7:45 a.m. – Skin condition check (AA)
8 a.m. – Weigh-ins (AA)
9 a.m. – Preliminaries and first round (AA), six mats (52/104 matches)
12:30 p.m. – First-round consolations (AA), six mats
12:30 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (Girls)
12:30 p.m. – Late school registration (Girls)
12:45 p.m. – Skin condition check (Girls)
1 p.m. – Weigh-ins (Girls)
2 p.m. – First round (Girls), six mats (104 matches)
3 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AAA)
3 p.m. – Late school registration (AAA)
3:15 p.m. – Skin condition check (AAA)
3:30 p.m. – Weigh-ins (AAA)
3:30 p.m. – First-round consolations (Girls), six mats (52 matches)
4:30 p.m. – Preliminaries and first round (AAA), six mats (52/104 matches)
8 p.m. – First-round consolations (AAA), six mats (52 matches)

Friday, March 6 (Session 2/Session 3)

6:30 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA)
6:45 a.m. – Skin condition check (AA)
7 a.m. – Weigh-ins (AA)
8 a.m. – Quarterfinals (AA), three mats (52 matches)
8 a.m. – Second-round consolations (AA), three mats (52 matches)
10:15 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (Girls)
10:30 a.m. – Third-round consolations (AA), three mats (52 matches)
10:30 a.m. – Skin condition check (Girls)
10:45 a.m. – Weigh-ins (Girls)
11:45 a.m. – Quarterfinals (Girls), six mats (52 matches)
12:45 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AAA)
1 p.m. – Skin condition check (AAA)
1:15 p.m. – Weigh-ins (AAA)
1:15 p.m. – Second-round consolations (Girls), six mats (52 matches)
2:15 p.m. – Quarterfinals (AAA), three mats (52 matches)
2:15 p.m. – Second-round consolations (AAA), three mats (52 matches)
4:45 p.m. – Third-round consolations (AAA), six mats (52 matches)
6:15 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA/Girls/AAA)
7 p.m. – Semifinals (AA/Girls/AAA), 2/2/2 mats (26/26/26 matches)
9 p.m. – Fourth-round consolations (AA/AAA), 2/2 mats (26/26 matches)
9 p.m. – Third-round consolations (Girls), two mats (26 matches)

Saturday, March 7 (Session 4/Session 5)

8 a.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA/Girls/AAA)
8:15 a.m. – Skin condition check (AA/Girls/AAA)
8:30 a.m. – Weigh-ins (AA/Girls/AAA)
8:45 a.m. – Skin condition check, finalists (AA/Girls/AAA)
9 a.m. – Weigh-in, finalists (AA/Girls/AAA)
9:30 a.m. – Fifth-round consolations (AA/AAA), 2/2 mats (26/26 matches)
9:30 a.m. – Fourth-round consolations (Girls), 2 mats (26 matches)
11:30 a.m. – Third-, fifth- and seventh-place matches (AA/Girls/AAA), 2/2/2 mats (39/39/39 matches)
11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. – Admit coaches and contestants (AA/Girls/AAA)
3:40 p.m. – Parade of Champions (AA/Girls/AAA)
4 p.m. – Championship Finals (AA/Girls/AAA), 1/1/1 mats (13/13/13 matches)

When Was The 2026 PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships?

The 2026 PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships took place Feb. 6-7 at the 1st Summit Arena in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and included 20 teams that survived the preliminary and first round of the tournament, which was held Feb. 3 at host schools across the state.

The advancing teams made their way to Johnstown for two more days of intense competition, with the 1st Summit Arena hosting the quarterfinals through the championship matches.

In Pennsylvania this year, there were 475 schools participating in boys wrestling.

They were divided into two classifications – 228 schools in AA and 247 schools in AAA – which are further split into 12 districts. Class AA is for schools with 1-308 male enrollees, and Class AAA wrestling includes schools with 309-9999 male students.

Read more: 2026 PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships Schedule & Brackets

Did You Know: PIAA Wrestling Has A Long History

The first state wrestling championships in Keystone State happened in 1938, while the girls were added to the action in 2024. The PIAA Team Wrestling State Championships debuted in 1999.

There are 14 four-time individual state champions in Pennsylvania. Another 30 have won three times.

2025-2026 FloWrestling High School Wrestling Rankings

Top 20 as of Feb. 18, 2026

Curious about how the top wrestlers from each state stack up against competitors from across the country?

Click here to see the latest high school rankings from FloWrestling.

FULL DUAL: Bishop McCort vs. Faith Christian | 2026 PIAA AA Team State Finals

Faith Christian has been dominant in team wrestling in Pennsylvania, and Bishop McCort keeps falling just short.

Trackwrestling Has Joined The New FloWrestling

Trackwrestling officially has merged with FloWrestling, bringing its powerful tournament tracking tools and live data into a modern, all-in-one platform.

Fans can follow every bout with pro-grade brackets, mat schedules, team rosters and detailed wrestler profiles—all seamlessly integrated within FloWrestling.

This move delivers a faster, smarter and more connected experience for the wrestling community. Through the updated FloSports app, users can track live results, explore brackets and even sign up for free alerts so they never miss a match.

FloWrestling Archived Footage

Video footage from all events on FloWrestling will be archived and stored in a video library for FloWrestling subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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Pennsylvania

Man cited after abandoning car in frozen pond at Pennsylvania country club: Police

Published

18 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Man cited after abandoning car in frozen pond at Pennsylvania country club: Police

A man has been cited after police said he drove a vehicle into a frozen pond at a country club in Pennsylvania, left the scene, then spent the night in a hotel.

According to the East Lampeter Township Police Department, on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, around 10:38 a.m., officers were called to the Lancaster Country Club after receiving reports about a vehicle in a pond.

Police said that, through an investigation, it was learned that Sung Chun, a 50-year-old man from Hoboken, New Jersey, had driven onto the property the day before around 8:30 p.m., crossed portions of the golf course, and ultimately ended up in a pond.

Chun then exited the vehicle and walked away without reporting the incident and spent the night at a nearby hotel, according to police.

Credit: East Lampeter Township Police Department

Police said Chun returned to the location while police were on scene investigating the incident and was ultimately cited with “Trespass by Motor Vehicle.”

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Pennsylvania

State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

State College, Pennsylvania: 2026 USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards

In rural Pennsylvania, State College houses Penn State against a backdrop of beautiful country scenery. The university hosts many events, arts performances, and lively festivals that give the town year-round excitement that blends student life with local charm. Visitors can attend a football game, explore nearby parks and trails, and savor the town’s growing culinary scene of pubs and local eateries.

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