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Pa. House gives this sweet treat its chef’s kiss of approval as the state candy

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.



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Parents charged after toddler injured by wolf at Pennsylvania zoo

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Parents charged after toddler injured by wolf at Pennsylvania zoo




Parents charged after toddler injured by wolf at Pennsylvania zoo – CBS News

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The parents of a 17-month-old child are facing endangerment charges after the toddler stuck his hand under the fence of a wolf enclosure at a Pennsylvania zoo. Tom Hanson reports.

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2 Pennsylvania firefighters killed in vehicle collision during a search for a missing woman

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2 Pennsylvania firefighters killed in vehicle collision during a search for a missing woman


RICHMOND TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Two firefighters traveling in a utility vehicle along a Pennsylvania road during a search for a missing woman were killed in a head-on crash with a car, officials said.

The two members of the Walnuttown Fire Company died after the crash with a Toyota Camry at about 6 p.m. Saturday, roughly 45 miles (72 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia. Fire Chief Jeff Buck and Assistant Fire Chief Robert Shick Jr. were heading north when they were struck by a sedan heading south on Route 222, according to the Berks County Coroner.

NBC Philadelphia reported that the utility vehicle was riding on the shoulder of Route 222 when the Camry swerved off of the road. Police told the station that a male and a female who were in the Camry when it crashed fled and were later arrested.

Video from the crash scene shows the utility vehicle on its side.

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No further details about the arrest or the search for the missing woman were immediately available Sunday.

A call and an email seeking information were made to the Fleetwood Police Department.

Autopsies on the firefighters, both residents of Fleetwood, were scheduled for Monday.

“At this time we would like to send our thoughts and prayers” to the Shick and Buck families, the Walnuttown Fire Company said in a Facebook post. “Rest easy chiefs, we got it from here.”

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Toddler injured by wolf after crawling under Pennsylvania zoo’s exterior metal fence

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Toddler injured by wolf after crawling under Pennsylvania zoo’s exterior metal fence


A toddler was lightly injured by a wolf at a Pennsylvania theme park zoo after he crawled under a fence and stuck his hand into the animal’s enclosure, officials at the zoo confirmed Sunday.The child was never inside the wolf habitat at the ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park, which is part of the Hersheypark theme park, and the officials characterized the injuries as minor without elaborating.After the “unsupervised” child reached the metal enclosure around the wolf habitat on Saturday morning and put his hand through, a wolf approached “and made contact with the child’s hand,” according to a statement from the zoo.”This type of response is consistent with natural animal behavior, and was not a sign of aggression,” the zoo said in a statement. “Our habitats are designed with multiple layers of protection, and clear signage and barriers are in place to help ensure safe viewing. Guests are expected to remain within designated areas and closely supervise children at all times.”The zoo is part of the entertainment complex in Hershey, Pennsylvania, featuring a chocolate-themed amusement park. The zoo’s website says it has three gray wolves.Hersheypark made headlines last summer when a lost boy wandering a monorail line above a crowd was rescued by a park visitor who climbed onto a building and jumped onto the rails. The child was unharmed and reunited with his family.

A toddler was lightly injured by a wolf at a Pennsylvania theme park zoo after he crawled under a fence and stuck his hand into the animal’s enclosure, officials at the zoo confirmed Sunday.

The child was never inside the wolf habitat at the ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park, which is part of the Hersheypark theme park, and the officials characterized the injuries as minor without elaborating.

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After the “unsupervised” child reached the metal enclosure around the wolf habitat on Saturday morning and put his hand through, a wolf approached “and made contact with the child’s hand,” according to a statement from the zoo.

“This type of response is consistent with natural animal behavior, and was not a sign of aggression,” the zoo said in a statement. “Our habitats are designed with multiple layers of protection, and clear signage and barriers are in place to help ensure safe viewing. Guests are expected to remain within designated areas and closely supervise children at all times.”

The zoo is part of the entertainment complex in Hershey, Pennsylvania, featuring a chocolate-themed amusement park. The zoo’s website says it has three gray wolves.

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Hersheypark made headlines last summer when a lost boy wandering a monorail line above a crowd was rescued by a park visitor who climbed onto a building and jumped onto the rails. The child was unharmed and reunited with his family.



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