Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was scheduled to return to Pennsylvania for a rally in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday as both he and Democratic opponent Kamala Harris focus on the key swing state this weekend. File Photo by Allison Dinner/EPA-EFE
Aug. 17 (UPI) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic opponent Kamala Harris will be focusing their attention on Pennsylvania with weekend visits to the vital swing state.
Trump is scheduled to attend a rally at 4 p.m. EDT Saturday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., targeting the northeastern section of the Keystone State, while Harris is set to kick off a bus tour of western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh on Sunday, a day before the start of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Trump on Monday is scheduled to be in York, Pa., at a machining manufacturer to address the economy.
Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is scheduled to appear Saturday at a 2 p.m. EDT rally in his native state of Nebraska. The event is planned for the Astro Theater in Omaha.
Trump is a frequent visitor to Pennsylvania — Saturday’s scheduled rally will mark his seventh visit to the state this year and at least the fifth time he’s appeared in Wilkes-Barre since 2016, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. President Joe Biden won that state in 2020 but Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
With a pair of recent polls showing Harris edging past him in Pennsylvania, Trump has used his recent appearances to paint her and Walz as “extreme liberals” and “communists” while hurling personal insults at the Democratic nominee.
He excoriated Harris during a Wednesday rally in Ashville, N.C., as a “radical-left person from San Francisco,” claiming she and Walz are “beyond socialists,” while insulting her personally as “not intelligent.” He doubled down on the personal insult later in the week and claimed he is “entitled” to do so.
Trump also said this week he believes Harris is vulnerable in Pennsylvania due to her past support for a ban on natural gas produced by hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.”
Over the past decade, advances in fracking and horizontal drilling have led to a boom in the state’s oil and gas production. In 2022, Pennsylvania accounted for 19% of U.S. marketed natural gas production, with more natural gas produced than in any other state except Texas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency.
While running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, Harris along with most of her competitors aligned themselves with the progressive wing of the party in supporting a ban on fracking as an environmental danger. Harris has since altered her position and now claims Trump is misrepresenting it.
During an appearance at his New Jersey country club on Thursday, Trump again highlighted the vice president’s one-time opposition to fracking, saying, “I think she will do very badly in Pennsylvania. You have to frack.”
Demonstrating the importance the Trump campaign places on Pennsylvania, it proposed that two debates between the GOP nominee and Harris be held in the state. One of them so far has been approved by both sides — a live televised debate in Philadelphia on Sept. 10 to be broadcast on ABC.
Two women are dead in Pennsylvania and a man is dead in Illinois after an apparent murder-suicide, police said on Wednesday.
According to a report from the Pennsylvania State Police, the investigation began in Hillside, Illinois, when police there were dispatched after a man reported two women dead in Jackson Township, Pennsylvania. Police said that when officers got to Hillside, about 15 miles west of Chicago, they found that the man had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
After identifying him, troopers said Hillside officers contacted police from Jackson Township to request a welfare check at the man’s home on Dior Drive, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Police said officers used forced entry to get into the home and found two women dead from apparent gunshot wounds. It’s believed the two women were family members of the man who died by suicide in Illinois, investigators said.
Pennsylvania State Police said they’ve assumed control of the case and are “actively investigating” what happened surrounding the three deaths.
Police didn’t release any names, saying the process of formal identification and notification of next of kin hasn’t been completed. Sources told KDKA that the victims were a husband, wife and their daughter.
“At this time, investigators believe there is no ongoing threat to the public, and law enforcement is not searching for any additional individuals in connection with this incident,” police wrote in the public information release report. “This remains an active and ongoing investigation.”
State police didn’t release any other details on Wednesday but said more information will be made public when it’s available.
“My first reaction was shocked because this is such a close-knit neighborhood, and to think something that horrible could happen here is very tragic because they were such a good family,” neighbor Danielle Sporer said on Wednesday.
One of the top 2027 Pennsylvania high school quarterbacks from the 2025 season has announced that he’s leaving for a new home.
Per an announcement by Class of 2027 signal caller Mikal Shank Jr., the quarterback has left Harrisburg (Pa.) and is now at Coatesville (Pa.) for his senior season. Shank Jr. last season started 14 games for the Cougars and is arguably one of the state’s top returning players behind center heading into the 2026 campaign.
Per a PennLive report, Shank’s mother said the enrollment to Coatesville was due to “employment relocation.”
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With Shank now leaving Harrisburg, the Cougars lose another piece of the starting offense from 2025 as the team is set to graduate running back Messiah Mickens (Virginia Tech enrollee), wide receiver Elias Coke (Rutgers enrollee) and interior offensive lineman Kevin Brown (West Virginia enrollee).
Shank last season through 14 games completed 191 of 280 passes for 2,505 yards and 24 touchdowns. The Cougars made a deep playoff run in the PIAA playoffs, finishing the season at 13-1 and ranked No. 10 according to the final Pennsylvania 2025 High School Football Massey Rankings.
Coatesville went 10-3 last season and finished as the state’s No. 30 ranked team, according to the final Pennsylvania 2025 High School Football Massey Rankings. The Red Raiders bring back 2027 5-Star Plus offensive lineman Maxwell Hiller to the trenches.
Coatesville Area High School (CASH) serves as the central high school for the Coatesville Area School District in Pennsylvania. Established in the late 1800s and relocated to its current campus in 1968, it features extensive facilities, including a football stadium and a vocational center. Known for its “Red Raiders” athletics teams, CASH provides students with a robust sports program and extracurricular activities that build school spirit and community engagement.
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For Pennsylvania high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the Keystone State, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the state, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Pennsylvania high school football excitement across the state.
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:
As of Feb. 22, 2026
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
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
Here’s where you’ll be able to find the brackets for the 2026 PIAA Individual State Wrestling Championships:
Here’s a look at when everything is going down:
All Times Eastern
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
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.
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.
Faith Christian has been dominant in team wrestling in Pennsylvania, and Bishop McCort keeps falling just short.
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.
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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