Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania receives $20 million federal grant to close the digital divide
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Local recreation centers, libraries and workforce centers will be among those awarded $20 million to use for digital connectivity projects across Pennsylvania. The federal funds will provide Wi-Fi and technological resources to neighbors in the community.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker was joined in Philadelphia by Stephen Benjamin, former mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, now White House director for the Office of Public Engagement, and state lawmakers to announce how the funds will be used to help bridge the digital divide in Pa.
“What most of us took for granted pre pre-pandemic, [we] realized that digital infrastructure access to the internet was now 21st-century infrastructure. We all had to have it,” said Benjamin.
Benjamin, who attended the event at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center in North Philly on Friday, said the facility is one example of places that will benefit from the extra funds.
He spoke with WHYY News about the struggles many across the country face due to lack of Wi-Fi and technological resources.
“There’s still a significant number of households that do not have access to full-size devices. It’s very difficult to write a paper for school or apply for a job with a handheld phone, so making sure tablets and laptops are available to families are the other part of the puzzle. Also, making sure people have affordable access to the internet,” Benjamin said.
Under the new plan, rec centers similar to MLK could receive funds to purchase additional laptops and computers for neighbors to use for free.
Devices purchased with the funds will be available for use in home or public spaces, such as schools and libraries, through loan programs. The facilities will also be able to use the funds to provide digital literacy training for the community.
“It allows people working with libraries, working with workforce development centers, working with parks and rec centers to get full devices that are accessible to them to make sure they can live up to their god-given potential,” said Benjamin.
Pennsylvania
Police hunt for masked suspects who looted a Pennsylvania Lululemon overnight
Pennsylvania police are searching for at least two masked suspects believed to have looted a Lululemon store overnight.
At least two masked men broke into a Lululemon in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, around 2 a.m. Tuesday, police told NBC 10 Philadelphia. Ardmore, a suburb of Philadelphia, is home to about 14,000 people.
The suspected thieves used a sledgehammer to break the glass on the store’s front door, according to police.
Once they gained access, the masked individuals grabbed handfuls of merchandise, security footage shows. The men went in and out of the store several times, grabbing handfuls of items that included coats, vests and shirts from the men’s section, police told local outlet WPVI.
“This is taking it to another level,” Lower Merion Police Superintendent Andy Block told WPVI.
The suspects then loaded the merchandise into a U-Haul truck. Their truck was last seen at the intersection of Bryn Mawr Avenue and Woodbine Avenue, just a few miles from the store, police said.
The entire incident lasted about five minutes, which Block said is longer than usual for this type of burglary.
“Usually, it is because in a smash-and-grab situation they want to get in and get out before they’re identified or anybody’s notified on it,” Block told CBS Philadelphia.
Block told WPVI the store is a popular target for robbers, given that many of its items cost more than $100. Now, he expects the alleged thieves have sold or exchanged the items.
“They’re using it on the market, maybe they’re exchanging it for drugs, or they’re selling it on the black market. It’s a highly sought-after item,” he told WPVI.
Even though police say Lululemon is a popular target, Lt. Michael Keenan of the Lower Merion Police Department still called the incident “out of character.”
“This is an out of character, out of type incident where we don’t normally see people smashing windows in the middle of the night. But, certainly this is something that is distinct,” Keenan told NBC 10 Philadelphia.
The store still opened Tuesday, with a banner covering the smashed glass on the door, according to Fox 29. Gina Picciano, a general manager at a restaurant across the street, said it was a frightening incident.
“I walked out here with my bartender and we looked, and it’s scary that it’s happening right across the way from us,” Picciano told Fox 29.
The same store was previously robbed in May 2024. Thieves stole more than $10,000 worth of merchandise during that incident, NBC 10 Philadelphia reports.
The Independent has contacted the Lower Merion Police Department and Lululemon for comment.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro has $30 million for his reelection bid, a new state record
Pennsylvania
3 winning scratch-off lotto tickets totaling $7.5M sold in Pennsylvania
RADNOR TWP., Pa. (WPVI) — Three winning scratch-off tickets totaling $7.5 million were sold in Pennsylvania, lottery officials announced on Monday.
One winning “MONOPOLY Own It All” ticket worth $5 million was sold in Delaware County at the GIANT on the 500 block of East Lancaster Avenue. The grocery store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
“MONOPOLY Own It All” is a $50 game that offers top prizes of $5 million.
In Erie County, a $1.5 million-winning “Cash Spectacular” scratch-off was purchased at a Sheetz on Perry Highway. “Cash Spectacular” is a $30 game that offers top prizes of $1.5 million.
And in Luzerne County, a $1 million-winning “Millionaire Loading” scratch-off was sold at Schiel’s Family Market in Wilkes-Barre. “Millionaire Loading” is a $20 game that offers top prizes of $1 million.
Scratch-off prizes expire one year from the game’s end-sale date posted at palottery.com.
Winners should immediately sign the back of their ticket and call the Pennsylvania Lottery at 1-800-692-7481.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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