We all know that texting and driving is a very bad idea and that we should avoid using our phone or the entertainment center of our car when we are moving to avoid distractions at the wheel. However, knowing this and following it are two very different things, and because of voice commands and the false sense of security that things being just a touch away provide, we have gotten complacent and are now having more traffic accidents because of these distractions once again. The state of Pennsylvania has noticed this uptick and has introduced a new law that cracks down on using phones while driving in an attempt to improve road safety.

The new law, called Paul Miller’s Law, after a young man who lost his life in 2010 because someone behind the wheel was not paying attention is attempting to eliminate distractions while driving and has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate and is now being signed by the Governor into law.

Since Paul died, his family has made an effort to ensure that the tragedy does not repeat, and the efforts, spearheaded by his mother Eileen Miller, have finally culminated in the passing of this bill. This was not an easy road for her, but thanks to the close support of State Senator Rosemary Brown they were able to make it a reality. At the bill signing, Eileen gave a powerful speech, filled with emotion and gratitude, making it clear how much this meant to her, and how important it was for families like hers.

The new Pennsylvania traffic law, an attempt to curb distractions on the road

Starting June 5, 2025, drivers in Pennsylvania will not be allowed to use handheld mobile devices at all while driving, which means no making calls, no texting and no using apps. The physical phone needs to be put away unless it is an emergency or it is being used for navigation purposes. Under this law, radios used by emergency personnel and certain commercial drivers are not affected by this ban.

Although there are penalties for breaking this new law put in place, they will not go into effect all at once, it will be a gradual process so as to not treat this as a cash grab, but as the safety measure that it is. For the first year there will be no fines but police will hand out warnings to give drivers time to adjust. Next year, come June 2026, anyone caught using their cell phone on the road will have to pay a $50 fine, plus court and admin fees.

Cambria County District Attorney Greg Neugebauer praised the move, calling it an intelligent response to the distracted driving problem and pointed out that it is not just about having a law on paper but that it needs to be enforced to really make a difference. Police officers will now be able to pull over anyone they see using a phone behind the wheel, treating it like any other traffic offense.

The law really is not an overreaction to an inexistant problem, on the contrary, just in 2023 distracted driving played a role in over 11,000 crashes across Pennsylvania. Sixty-three of those were fatal. And that is a problem not just in the state, but across the country, which means that more states are choosing to implement similar laws to prevent more accidents from happening.

Drivers in Pennsylvania may not be thrilled, but they are aware of the problem, and when asked to comment, the general consensus was summarized by this statement that one local driver gave anonymously to WJAC “I feel that it’s a good law because I’ve seen so many distracted drivers and just taking your eyes off the road for a few minutes can of course cause an accident, so even if it saves a life, it’s worth it.”

GIBSON, Pa. (WBNG) — Pennsylvania State Police are investigating a missing person report in Susquehanna County.

According to the Susquehanna County Sheriff’s Office, Nicole Royale Herman, 45, was last seen at her residence in Liberty Township on Wednesday, June 25, around 11:30 p.m.

Herman is described as a fair-skinned, white female, with long, dirty-blonde hair, blue eyes and is approximately 5′06″.

Herman does not have a means of transportation and may be traveling on foot or with an unknown associate.

She is believed to be suffering from mental illness and has showed signs of paranoia and delusions.

Anyone with information about Herman’s whereabouts is asked to contact State Police Gibson at 570-465-3154 and speak to Trooper Godino.

Copyright 2025 WBNG. All rights reserved.

Why is Conor Lamb crisscrossing Pennsylvania again?

In Pittsburgh, progressives trying to land an in-person town hall with Fetterman or first-term Republican Sen. David McCormick noticed when the two senators advertised an event together at a downtown restaurant to celebrate the release of McCormick’s new book.

Progressive groups organized to protest it and — after it got moved to a private location with a private invite list — went ahead with their own town hall. They invited Lamb and a local Democratic state representative instead.

More invitations for Lamb started rolling in.

By his count, he’s now attended at least a dozen town halls and party events, easily clocking more than 2,000 miles to appear in small towns, small cities and suburbs, often in conservative areas.

“Showing up matters and it really does make a difference,” said Dana Kellerman, a Pittsburgh-based progressive organizer. “Is that going to matter to John Fetterman? I really don’t know. I don’t know what he’s thinking. I don’t know if he’s always been this person or if he’s changed in the last two years.”

Fetterman has brushed off criticism, saying he’s a committed Democrat, insisting he was elected to engage with Republicans and — perhaps hypocritically — questioning why Democrats would criticize fellow Democrats.

At times, Fetterman has criticized Trump, questioning the move to “punch our allies in the mouth” with tariffs or the need for cuts to social-safety net programs in the GOP’s legislation to extend 2017’s tax cuts. Fetterman’s office didn’t respond to an inquiry about Lamb.

Is Conor Lamb running for Senate?

For his part, Lamb — a former U.S. Marine and federal prosecutor — says he isn’t running for anything right now, but he’ll do whatever he can to “stop this slide that we’re on toward a less democratic country and try to create one in which there’s more opportunity for people.”

To some Democrats, he sounds like a candidate.

“That he’s doing these town halls is a good indication that he’ll be running for something, so it’s a good thing,” said Janet Bargh, who attended the event in suburban Harrisburg.

Aside from the town halls, he spoke at the Unite for Veterans event on the National Mall. He has also been active on social media, doing local radio appearances and appearing on MSNBC, where he recently criticized the June 14 military parade ordered up by Trump.

Not long ago, it was hard to envision Lamb losing a race, ever.

In 2018, he won a heavily Trump-friendly congressional district in southwestern Pennsylvania in a special election. It was the center of the political universe that spring, drawing campaign visits by Trump and then-presidential hopeful Joe Biden.

Suddenly, Lamb was ascendant. Then he ran for Senate and lost handily — by more than two-to-one — to Fetterman in 2022’s primary.

People often ask Lamb if he’s going to challenge Fetterman again. Lamb said he reminds them that Fetterman has three years left in his term and pivots the conversation to what Democrats need to do to win elections in 2025 and 2026.

Still, Lamb is unafraid to criticize Fetterman publicly. And, he said, he’s a magnet for Democrats to air their unhappiness with Fetterman. What he hears, over and over, is frustration that Fetterman spends too much time attacking fellow Democrats and not enough time challenging Trump.

“And that is, I think, what’s driving the frustration more than any one particular issue,” Lamb said.

At the town hall, Lamb wasn’t afraid to admit he’d lost to Fetterman. But he turned it into an attack line.

“When I watch the person who beat me give up on every important issue that he campaigned on … the more I reasoned that the point of all of this in the first place is advocacy for what’s right and wrong,” Lamb told the crowd. “And advocacy for not just a particular party to win, but for the type of country where it matters if, when you stand up, you tell the truth.”

The crowd cheered.