Latest news with #IanKarbal
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shock, sadness and resolve in the wake of arson attack on Pennsylvania governor's residence
The Pennsylvania governor's residence on April1 3, 2025, after a fire led to the evacuation of Gov. Shapiro and his family. It is being investigated as arson. (Photo Ian Karbal/Pennsylvania Capital-Star) The smell of fire was still strong on the side lawn of the governor's residence around 5:00 pm on Sunday, hours after an arson attack on the governor's residence in Harrisburg. As Governor Josh Shapiro held a press conference to announce an arrest in the incident, he stood in front of a large reception room that had been set up for a Passover Seder. It was blackened and charred. The wreckage could be seen though busted windows and doors. It was almost unrecognizable from the night before when the governor, who is Jewish, held a Seder for family and friends to mark the first night of the Passover holiday. A photo of the preparation posted to his Facebook page on Saturday showed a Seder plate on a gold table cloth, an open bottle of wine and copies of the Haggadah, a Jewish text about the Hebrews' exodus from Egypt brought out every year for the holiday. Hours after the Seder ended, Shapiro said he and his family were woken up by a member of his security detail banging on his door. The state trooper said they had to evacuate immediately. Someone had broken into the residence, set the reception room ablaze with a homemade incendiary device, and was able to get out before being apprehended. According to State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens, the attack appeared planned and methodical. Shapiro, his wife and children, their two dogs and another family that was staying with them were all evacuated safely. The fire was extinguished. So far, no motive has been determined, and it's unclear if the attack was at all related to the holiday or Shapiro's Jewish heritage, though a suspect, 38-year-old Cody Balmer, is in custody. Speaking to the press from a podium on the lawn, Shapiro was visibly emotional. He said the event traumatized his family and the governor's residence staff. 'If this individual was trying to deter me from doing my job as your governor, rest assured, I will find a way to work even harder than I was just yesterday,' Shapiro said. 'If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night, hear me on this: We celebrated our faith last night proudly, and in a few hours we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover.' 'We'll clean this up, we'll get it repaired, we'll get it rebuilt, we'll get rid of that smell of fire and smoke, and we'll be back very soon,' Shapiro added. 'We'll be back to welcome the community into this residence.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
From the editor's desk: Why providing context matters
A map of Pennsylvania counties showing federal workers as a percentage of counties' total workforce, not including active duty military members or post office employees. Federal workers make up between 0% (Cameron and Sullivan Counties) and 6.8% (Union County) of the workforce by county. Created with Datawrapper. So about this news cycle…. With so much information coming at you at a rapid fire pace, it may be hard to stay engaged long enough to find the needed context so you can have a better understanding of what exactly is happening. When our Ian Karbal approached me about some data he'd come across pertaining to the federal workforce in Pennsylvania, I leaned in a bit. With mass layoffs occurring due to the efforts of, Elon Musk, I was curious what we could glean about the more than 75,000 Pennsylvanians holding federal jobs. One caveat: The number doesn't include post office workers or active duty military. After all, this is an unprecedented move by a presidential administration – allowing one of the richest men on the planet, who is unelected and didn't have to go through any confirmation hearing, to make decisions on vital government work. What the figures do show is that while one-third of these workers are in Philadelphia County, many are in parts of the commonwealth most dependent on federal labor supported President Donald Trump in last November's election. For example, federal employees make up nearly 7% of the workforce in Union County and a little more than 6% of Lebanon County's workforce is on the federal government payroll. You can see how your home county or the congressional district you live in could be affected by going through a couple of interactive maps Ian put together. We hope data like that helps you understand Pennsylvania's role in this national conversation around how the government serves you, the taxpayer. But even more important is hearing how your fellow citizens have been impacted. Check out the story here. Another important point to make is that it was imperative to put a face to the numbers. These aren't just faceless bureaucrats, but friends and neighbors who perform tasks in your community that may be under-the-radar, but have real-world impact – from things like environmental work to assisting veterans. Ian spoke to several people who lost their jobs due to the seeming randomness of the layoffs. But he had to navigate some tough waters, because most did not want to go on the record and be identified. Hoping to eventually get their jobs back, they were concerned that having their names out there may lead to repercussions and punishment. Here's where I pull back the curtain a bit on our decision-making. Our parent company, States Newsroom, has a long-established Ethics Policy, available right there on our website. (A good tip for deciding whether a news organization is credible or not is if they make their editorial guidelines public). In this case, we had several conversations over whether we should grant some of Ian's sources anonymity and turned to the policy which states: A reporter may not agree to anonymity without first receiving approval from their newsroom editor and national editor. The person asking for anonymity must be told that his or her name will be shared with those editors, both of whom will keep the source's name confidential. We must know the source to be reliable and to have access to the information being shared, and the story must make that clear to readers. (See 'not for attribution' below.) We will, to the best of our ability, identify and report any bias the source may have. The story must explain why the source can't be named and how the information was verified, preferably with multiple sources. The source must be providing specific information, not speculation or opinion. There should be an expectation that the information reported in such a manner will become public in a reasonable amount of time. If we grant a person anonymity we will not use their photograph. After discussing it with my boss and he, in turn, discussing it with his boss, we decided to grant anonymity to current workers, because of the threat of potential recriminations. Since former federal employees in other states spoke on the record with our sister outlets, we also determined it was important to be consistent with the use of anonymity and ask that they allow us to use their name. Only one decided to go public. Now, rest assured this isn't a one and done kind of story. When I took over as editor at the Capitol-Star about a month ago, I promised we would tell the story of Pennsylvanians and how policies handed down by the state and federal government impact you and your communities. So, there are still layers to the reduction efforts to be explored and Ian would appreciate hearing from you if you are a federal employee in Pennsylvania, or have been impacted by federal workforce cuts. You can reach out to him by email at ikarbal@ or by call/text/Signal at 847-946-9191 to share your stories or help inform our future reporting on the topic. If you have any questions about our work, journalism, or anything else on your mind, I'm at tlambert@ Please reach out. I'll do my best to get back to you, because you are the reason we are here. Our work is geared toward ensuring you have a better understanding of what is going on in the world around you. Thanks for reading. Tim Lambert Editor, Pennsylvania Capital-Star Don't forget you can take an extra step and make a gift to the Capital-Star and support our work financially. It can be a one-time donation to our nonprofit newsroom or a monthly, sustaining contribution that will help us continue to serve you and the great commonwealth of Pennsylvania. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill giving unemployment benefits to domestic violence survivors advances in state House
The Capitol building in Harrisburg on July 6, 2024 (Capital-Star photo by Ian Karbal) A pair of state House committees unanimously advanced legislation Wednesday to extend unemployment benefits to domestic violence survivors and allow international team doctors to attend to players in the World Cup. House Bill 274, sponsored by state Reps. Jason Dawkins (D-Philadelphia) and Seth Grove (R-York), would provide unemployment benefits for people if they voluntarily leave their job for their safety or that of a family or household member. The state's unemployment compensation law currently requires a person who quits their job to prove their reasons for quitting are 'necessitous and compelling,' and that they made reasonable efforts to maintain the employment relationship, a co-sponsorship memo says. The person who leaves work as a result of domestic violence can be eligible for benefits, but has to wait until the separation from employment is adjudicated, a process that can take weeks or months, according to the sponsors of the legislation. The proposed legislation, which cleared the Pennsylvania House Labor & Industry Committee by a 26-0 vote, would create an 'express lane' for claimants citing domestic violence as the reason for unemployment and allow the survivor to confidentially submit 'reasonable evidence of recent domestic violence.' Prior to the vote Wednesday, Dawkins, who chairs the committee, noted that last session the full state House passed a similar bipartisan bill by a 158-43 vote in March 2024, although it did not pass the state Senate. 'By creating this fast-track we are helping victims find the safety and security they need, without having to worry unduly about how they're going to pay the bills,' Dawkins said in a news release following the bill advancing. 'It's the right thing to do, and I thank my colleagues for their support.' The co-sponsorship memo also details that the bill includes 'automatic relief from charges for employers – so that an employer's tax rate will not be impacted by a UC claim resulting from a domestic violence situation.' World Cup doctors In preparation for Pennsylvania hosting FIFA Club World Cup this upcoming summer and the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the state House Professional Licensure Committee unanimously approved legislation that would amend the Medical Practice Act of 1985 to allow traveling team physicians from outside of the United States to treat their players in the Commonwealth without a Pennsylvania medical license. House Bill 309, sponsored by state Reps. Frank Burns (D-Cambria) and Joe Emrick (R-Northampton), also extends the licensure exemption for traveling team physicians to 45 days instead of 30 days, and allows for an even longer period with prior approval by the Board of Medicine. Under current state licensing law, international doctors would need to obtain a Pennsylvania medical license to treat their players on Pennsylvania soil, a process the authors of the bill say in the co-sponsorship memo can be 'long and cumbersome.' The full state Senate unanimously approved similar legislation on Wednesday sponsored by state Sen. Joe Picozzi (R-Philadelphia).
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pa. House committee advances bill on intermediate unit facility ownership
The Capitol building in Harrisburg on July 6, 2024 (Capital-Star photo by Ian Karbal) The Pennsylvania House Education Committee approved a bipartisan piece of legislation that allows intermediate units to own land and buildings for instructional use. There are 29 intermediate units in Pennsylvania, which are regional educational service agencies created by the General Assembly that offer special education, workforce development, online learning, curriculum development and a range of other services. The units are allowed to own office space and warehouse facilities, but instructional space must be leased. That limitation does not exist for area career and technical schools or charter schools, a legislative memo says. That arrangement burdens 'IUs with rental costs that sometimes greatly exceed what it would cost the IU to purchase and own the facility themselves,' per the memo, as well as preventing 'IUs from providing facilities that are tailored for the needs of the students they serve.' House Bill 201, sponsored by state Reps. Joe Ciresi (D-Montgomery) and Kristin Marcell (R-Bucks), allows IUs to purchase and own land and buildings for instructional use. Ciresi, who served at the IU in Montgomery County when he was a school board member, argued that the legislation is 'definitely a cost saver,' during the voting meeting on Monday. Marcell, who was a school board member in Bucks County, noted that several IUs in the suburban county north of Philadelphia have been limited to leasing several facilities, including those that serve early childhood programs. 'The constraints of leasing prevent the IU from operating as efficiently as possible and from fully customizing these spaces to meet students' unique needs,' Marcell said. PAIU_Map_by_SD The legislation was approved by a 20-6 vote, with every Democrat voting to support the legislation, while Republicans were split 6-6. State Rep. Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster), the minority chair of the House Education Committee, supported the legislation because he thinks it's important that local control also comes with local financial responsibility. 'Those are the individuals that are closest to the community,' Cutler said. 'They understand their needs, they understand the financial impact, and ultimately, I trust them to make that best decision.' State Rep. Milou Mackenzie (R-Lehigh) was one of six Republicans who voted against the bill. 'I think now is not the time to go ahead and give permission to buy more real estate that ultimately the taxpayers are going to be responsible for paying and keeping up and maintaining,' Mackenzie said. 'It's just like in your own life if you can't afford to maintain your primary residence, you should not be going out and buying additional real estate.' The committee also advanced House Bill 190 by state Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-Allegheny), which would add a new section to the School Code to require the Departments of Education and Health to develop educational information and make recommendations for eating disorder awareness. An amendment to the bill proposed by state Rep. Gina Curry (D-Delaware) lists the Department of Health as the lead agency rather than the Department of Education. The vote was 18-8 vote. In April 2023, legislation addressing eating disorder awareness in schools was approved by a 158-43 vote. It was last referred to the Senate Education committee in the previous session, but did not receive a vote.
