By Peter Hall| Senior Reporter
“Today’s failure, spectacular as it was, not to get over the line of the issue of skill games is emblematic, frankly, of what we’ve seen for the last two years under this Senate that is hopelessly divided.” — House Democratic Leader Matt Bradford on the General Assembly’s failure to pass skill game legislation.
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Leigh Carroll, purple shirt, embraces another meeting attendee after a paid parental leave bill passes Allegheny County Council at the Allegheny County Courthouse, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Downtown. (Photo by Danny Arensberg/Pittsburgh's Public Source)
By Natalie Bencivenga
Watch a recap of our top stories.
By Peter Hall and Whitney Downard
The Pennsylvania General Assembly sent dozens of bills to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk in a final legislative push this week before the midterm elections.
As of Thursday afternoon, Shapiro has signed 58 measures into law. Because the legislature is still in session, the governor has 10 days to sign or veto legislation after passage, otherwise it becomes law automatically.
Here’s a rundown of the legislation lawmakers got across the finish line, ranging from a ban on students using cellphones in school to modernizing raffles and other small games of chance.
A person rides an electric scooter on a city street. (Photo by Getty Images)
By Peter Hall
Love them or hate them, electric scooters are one step closer to being a legal and regulated means of transportation in Pennsylvania.
The state House on Tuesday approved legislation that would place restrictions, including an age limit, on the use of the two-wheeled micro-mobility devices. It would also allow Pittsburgh, Scranton and more than 50 other cities to establish e-scooter sharing programs. It passed by a 176-27 vote and heads to the Senate for consideration.
E-scooters are currently illegal in the commonwealth. That hasn’t slowed their widespread adoption as children’s toys and as a way for commuters to get to work and back.
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Pennsylvania Skill Games in a Delaware County convenience store. (Photo by Peter Hall/Capital-Star)
By Peter Hall and Whitney Downard
A deal between state lawmakers to legalize and tax skill games is dead, leaders in the Democratic-controlled House said Wednesday.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia) said Senate Republicans were unable to muster votes needed to pass a skill games bill in the upper chamber, dashing hope for an agreement before the end of the legislative session next month.
“I think it’s the worst kept secret in this building that over the last couple days we’ve been negotiating, trying to get skill games done,” Harris told the Capital-Star. “But at this juncture, the Senate Republicans have created a problem and have killed the solution, and therefore I don’t see that happening.”
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer’s badge and weapon are seen as ICE conducts a vehicle checkpoint on Georgia Avenue on Aug. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
By Ian Karbal
While questions remain over how a Sept. 2 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Montour County unfolded, emails between ICE and a participating police department shed more light on what happened.
Along with further interviews with law enforcement, the emails obtained through public records requests also show police chiefs — particularly Mahoning Township’s Frederick Dyroff III — downplayed the scope of the raid and their role in it.
The records also confirm some of the accounts of witnesses who claim the total number of arrests made in connection with the operation was far higher than federal and local authorities have stated. It’s still unclear how many people were ultimately detained.
The ICE operation last month – assisted by police – led to the arrests of a number of immigrant workers leaving a construction site on the Geisinger Medical Center campus in Danville.
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