Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro recounts evacuating arson fire in pajamas

Published

8 months ago

April 18, 2025

Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro recounts evacuating arson fire in pajamas

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday provided new details about the arson fire early Sunday that prompted his family’s evacuation from the governor’s official residence in Harrisburg, recounting how wife and four kids and their two dogs — Bo and Bentley — were awakened by state police and guided to safety.

Shapiro spoke to reporters after his family served a catered lunch to Harrisburg firefighters in thanks for their role in responding to the blaze that is estimated to have caused millions in damage to the building and its contents. No one was hurt.

A suspect has been charged, and the motive is under investigation.

Shapiro is a first-term Democrat considered a potential candidate for president in 2028.

Here’s what Shapiro had to say about the attack, which burned the same room where his family and guests had a Passover Seder a few hours earlier.

A fire hours after holiday meal

“We concluded our Seder maybe around 10ish or so at night,” and guests, family and others were in private areas on the first floor, he said.

“Everybody was just enjoying one another and spending time celebrating not just the holiday but each other and enjoying each other’s company,” he said. Around midnight, they went upstairs and “spent an hour yelling at the kids to go to bed and they didn’t listen.”

“Said goodnight to the kids, got the dogs situated, and I’d say probably fell asleep around 1 o’clock in the morning,” Shapiro said.

Banging on the door

“Less than an hour later, I heard yelling in the hallway, which was not like our kids’ voices. It was one of the state troopers running down the hallway, and he banged on the door. I don’t know how he did it, but it wasn’t a knock. It was more of a bang,” he said.

Shapiro said he and his wife, Lori, were told there was a fire and they had to evacuate immediately.

“I would say within just a few seconds we ran to each of the doors in the hallway, to open them up and get the kids up, get the dogs up and usher everybody down a back stairwell,” he said. “And we followed the troopers out to the driveway area, and we were asked multiple times if everyone was present and accounted for. They were. Troopers and Capitol Police kept us safe.” Firefighters converged on the property.

Shapiro said first responders repeatedly made sure no one was missing.

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Pennsylvania

Bill would create alert when children with autism go missing in Pennsylvania

Published

9 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Bill would create alert when children with autism go missing in Pennsylvania

(WHTM) — Legislation is in the works for a statewide warning system to locate missing children with autism.

State Rep. Robert Leadbeter (R-Columbia County) announced the formal introduction of a bill to create a “Purple Alert” system. It would quickly notify police and community members when a child with autism, or other cognitive issues, is missing.

His bill is called “Aiden’s Law,” named for a young boy in Columbia County, who disappeared earlier this year and drowned in the Susquehanna River. Leadbeter said a “Purple Alert” system would fill a gap in Pennsylvania.

“So, individuals with cognitive disabilities are able to then, if they go missing, have an alert go out to law enforcement organizations that work directly with them and that’ll save time expand resources, and ideally result in a safe return home for the missing individual,” Leadbeter said.

In this bill, the system would mirror others like Amber Alerts for missing children in danger and Silver Alerts for missing seniors.

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Pennsylvania

Bethlehem man sentenced under Pennsylvania’s new AI child porn law

Published

21 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Bethlehem man sentenced under Pennsylvania’s new AI child porn law

A Bethlehem man is among the first to be sentenced under a Pennsylvania law passed last year, making it a crime to possess AI-generated child sex abuse material.

On Monday, Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas Judge Kristie M. Marks sentenced 35-year-old Adam Erdman to two years, four months to 10 years.

Erdman in September pleaded guilty to felony possessing child sex abuse material. He faced a possible sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison.

Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan announced the sentencing in a news conference Monday afternoon. The DA credited U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who introduced the new legislation and state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, who championed the final version of the law last year.

“Before this law was passed, the use of AI to generate child sexual abuse materials went unpunished,” Holihan said. “Prosecutors like me need legislation like this to arrest and convict the criminals who use evolving technology to victimize others.”

Macungie-based attorney Michael Ira Stump, representing Erdman, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Tuesday morning.

Bethlehem police on March 31 were called by Erdman’s estranged wife, who reported finding three AI-generated nude images of juvenile girls on his personal computer.

Prosecutors said Erdman downloaded photos of the children on vacation from their parent’s social media account, and then used artificial intelligence photo-editing software to make the children appear naked.

Erdman was charged on April 17.

The case was investigated by Bethlehem Police Det. Stephen Ewald and was prosecuted by Lehigh County Senior Deputy District Attorney Sarah K. Heimbach.

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Pennsylvania

Central Pennsylvania awarded over $1M for Chesapeake Bay Watershed conservation

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Central Pennsylvania awarded over M for Chesapeake Bay Watershed conservation

PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — Over $17 million has been awarded to county teams across the Commonwealth for projects in reducing nutrient and sediment pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Grants were awarded to counties with projects taking place over the next 12 to 24 months. Many different human activities cause nutrient pollution and eroded sediment to enter streams, rivers, and lakes. This pollution can come from fertilizer, plowing and tilling farm fields and can cause stripping away of trees and vegetation, and increasing paved surfaces.

Here are the grants awarded in our area:

Blair County Conservation District: $308,095
Cambria County Conservation District: $200,000
Centre County Government: $566,399
Clearfield County Conservation District: $368,209
Huntingdon County Conservation District: $409,134

“Pennsylvania’s clean water successes are rooted in collaboration—state, local, federal, legislative, and non-governmental partners, and of course landowners,” Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Jessica Shirley said. “The work will continue to evolve, and our focus will remain on setting our collaborative partnerships up for success well beyond 2025. The momentum is real, and you can see it in our improved water quality.”

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In total, 222 projects were approved, and it’s estimated to reduce nitrogen by 113,493 pounds/year, phosphorus by 28,816 pounds/year, and sediment delivered to the Chesapeake Bay by 1.8 million pounds/year.

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