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Brett Sholtis

@brettsholtis.bsky.social
882 followers 561 following 243 posts

Reporter, Philadelphia @Inquirer.com Weekend |Prev: Investigative reporter @LancasterOnline, health reporter @WITF & for @NPR | 21-22 Rosalynn Carter fellow | ARNG vet | bsholtis@inquirer.com

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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
To prevent measles exposure, Philly-area moms are vaxxing early, delaying daycare, and avoiding hard-hit regions. “I have a child to protect at all costs. So I’m making sure I’m not in contact with anyone who’s been traveling out to Lancaster.” @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/health/measl...
inquirer.com
As measles cases grow in Pennsylvania, some parents are speeding up vaccinations and avoiding Lancaster County
The measles outbreak has some Philadelphia-area parents opting to vaccinate their children early and delay daycare while avoiding Lancaster County and those who have traveled there.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
A good NYT story this morning on Pennsylvania “skill games” — from the perspective of people struggling with gambling addiction who have lost tens of thousands to them. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/30/b...
nytimes.com
Pennsylvania Gambling Addicts Hope that ‘Skill Games’ Will Go Bust (Gift Article)
The machines, which enjoyed legal protection until a recent court ruling, could go dark in October.
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Russ Walker @russwalker.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
A line in the story: Measles can cause an enlarged spleen, and birth can cause it to rupture, he said.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
A baby from Lancaster County who died shortly after birth of a lacerated spleen tested positive for measles. The county, with ~200~ cases, is the center of the outbreak in Pa. One local official and the U.S. health secretary had downplayed the measles deaths. www.inquirer.com/health/measl...
inquirer.com
A newborn baby was one of Pa.’s two measles-related deaths, state says as RFK questions whether they were ‘fabricated’
The measles-related deaths announced Tuesday of two Lancaster County residents were the first in Pennsylvania in 35 years and led to a spat between Josh Shapiro and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The Shapiro admin says it needs the $189,000 per year former Trump official on payroll because “'the Trump administration’s relentless attacks on the rights and freedoms of Pennsylvanians are reaching into every corner of our Commonwealth.'" @spotlightpa.org www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/08...
spotlightpa.org
Shapiro hires ex-Trump official to counter fed ‘attacks’
Jennifer Higgins, a longtime federal immigration official based in Washington, D.C., is being paid $89 an hour.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The federal gov’t’s $9M contract with North Wales-based Geissele Automatics was “for the delivery of ‘precision long guns and accessories’ to support ICE agents as well as the agency’s tactical programs,” per @inquirer.com Jesse Bunch and @fallonroth.bsky.social
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
An off-duty Philadelphia police officer died hours after being shot early Sunday morning outside an after-hours lounge in Southwest Philadelphia. @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/news/off-dut...
inquirer.com
Off-duty police officer killed in early-morning shooting in Southwest Philly
Another person is in critical condition after being shot once outside an after-hours lounge early Sunday morning.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
An early review of hard drives in the house appeared to show images of the two women in the house, alive and then dead, a police inspector said. “Usually when we have a homicide investigation, we have body parts,” he said. “This time we do not. @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/news/eugene-...
inquirer.com
Police say they believe two women were killed in Olney home — neither previously linked in missing persons search
Police say “graphic and dark” evidence leads them to believe two women were killed in Eugene and Raymond Horsch's house.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Since people are discussing ICE seeking to buy shock gloves, I'll share this county jail use of force report I obtained in 2022 showing how corrections officers used this device on a person awaiting transport to one of Pa's few remaining state psychiatric hospitals. drive.google.com/file/d/1B3AW...
drive.google.com
Columbia_08232022172833-DOC082322.pdf
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The Marshall Project @themarshallproject.org · 30/07/2026
At Fox Run, a home for kids in treatment backed by a multi-billion dollar company, residents and former staff detail a litany of trauma. One former resident told us, “I would rather be dead outside in the snow” than spend another night inside.
themarshallproject.org
How Fox Run Treatment Center Traumatized Troubled Children
Kids at the facility went as far as hurting themselves and others to escape. Here’s what they were running from.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
With the Horsch home at the center of an investigation into at least two disappearances, @inquirer.com digs into its deceased past owner's obsession with drug-addicted women — and his son's reputation for violence. @maxmmarin.bsky.social @ryanbriggs.bsky.social www.inquirer.com/news/a/raymo...
inquirer.com
DARK ARTS
The Inquirer reviewed police records, news clippings and Raymond Horsch's portfolio, and interviewed more than 30 people to uncover the saga of a thrill-seeking criminal artist and his troubled son.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Great vibes outside Independence Hall, where some people have opted for period garb. Abby Harting, second pic, in white, third from left, says the linen-and-wool layered garments have stood the test of time for keeping people reasonably cool even on hot days.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
This Navy veteran from Delaware wears a photo of his nephew, an Army infantry soldier who died by suicide in 2013 after returning from Afghanistan. “There are too many people ignoring what’s going on,” he said. “We need to join together and turn this around.”
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Maxine Rebeles traveled from Laredo, TX to join other military veterans rallying at Washington Square. Like others here, Rebeles decries Trump administration immigration policies, ICE, and the direction the country is headed.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Good morning, I'll be out and about today covering how our fine city is celebrating, reveling, protesting, coping, and hopefully finding ways to stay cool on this, our torrid Semiquincentennial. HMU if you're up to anything and please, drink water, people.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
You haven't heard from me in a while, and it's for the best of reasons. I’ve been on parental leave with our first child. I am beyond grateful to @inquirer.com, the @newsguild.org, and my colleagues who made it possible for me to spend this time with my daughter. And now, back to work.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Residents raised lots of questions last night. Among them: What threat prompted the school to cancel the protest? Is it true, as one resident said, that a text threatened to bring a gun to the walkout? And if this threat was credible, then why wasn't more done to lock down the school?
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Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 21/02/2026
A Quakertown High School students' ICE protest escalated into a confrontation with adults that left at least one teenager bloodied and in handcuffs.
inquirer.com
Bucks County DA investigating after Quakertown police arrested high school students protesting ICE
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Four years after Russian invasion, many Ukraine war veterans and refugees have found support and community in the Philadelphia region. But with no end to the war in sight, and not enough action from the government, they say the future is uncertain. @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/news/ukraine...
inquirer.com
Four years after Russian invasion, Ukrainians around Philadelphia are thankful for support, wary of future
Philadelphia has become a hub for veterans and refugees seeking medical care and community.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Alongside journalist Don Lemon, DOJ indicted 35-year old Ian Austin from Bryn Athyn, right outside of Philly. Here’s my @inquirer.com story on who Austin is and why he drove to Minneapolis to protest ICE.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 01/02/2026
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
propublica.org
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
A decorated U.S. Army veteran from Montgomery County was arrested Friday for participating in a protest at a St. Paul church, just two days after a video of him speaking out against the Trump administration went viral. My latest @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/news/montgom...
inquirer.com
A Montco Army veteran was indicted alongside journalist Don Lemon for anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church
A former U.S. Army Ranger from Montgomery County faces federal charges after protesting ICE at a St. Paul church.
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MPR News @mprnews.org · 31/01/2026
MPR News has learned that the police chief in the small southern Minnesota city of St. Peter intervened Thursday afternoon to prevent federal immigration agents from arresting a local resident.
mprnews.org
St. Peter police chief intervenes, prevents federal agents from arresting resident
The police chief of St. Peter intervened to prevent federal agents from taking a local resident who was observing ICE enforcement actions into custody. It is believed to be the first time local police...
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Jake Blumgart @jblumgart.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
"Analysis of the City of Philadelphia’s PlowPHL data, which tracks the movement of plows via GPS data, showed that about a quarter of streets citywide had received no snow treatment at all — including salting or plowing — after the conclusion of the storm Sunday" www.inquirer.com/news/philade...
inquirer.com
Many Philly side streets remain full of snow and ice days after Sunday’s storm
Residents are reporting major queues for 311 as some streets have yet to be cleared by the city.
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Aubrey Whelan @aubreywhelan.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Earlier this week, federal officials abruptly terminated some $2 billion in grant funding for mental health and addiction programs. The grants were restored after bipartisan outcry, but providers in the Philly area who briefly lost funding are rattled. www.inquirer.com/health/samhs...
inquirer.com
Federal substance abuse and mental health grants were cut and then restored with little explanation
SAMHSA abruptly rescinded funding for thousands of grants dealing with mental health and addiction treatment late Tuesday with little explanation.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
As Minneapolis shooting stirs fears of state violence, several Black Panther Party members made their presence known in Philly @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/news/black-p...
inquirer.com
As Minneapolis shooting stirs fears of state violence, several Black Panther Party members made their presence known in Philly
A group calling itself the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense showed up at a protest this week carrying weapons.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
“ Sheriff Rochelle Bilal has garnered headlines and condemnation for calling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "fake, wannabe law enforcement" and sending a blunt warning to immigration officers who commit crimes in Philadelphia.” @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/news/philade...
inquirer.com
‘You don’t want this smoke;’ Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal goes viral, draws criticism for message to ICE agents
Clips of Bilal have circulated on social media and the sheriff's name has been invoked in headlines. One Florida politician said Bilal should be arrested.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
Four days after the Bristol nursing home explosion, residents are left in unfamiliar new locations without clothes, possessions, and medications. My latest @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/news/bristol...
inquirer.com
Days after Bristol nursing home explosion, residents are left in unfamiliar new locations without clothes, possessions, and medications
Several families said residents evacuated after the explosion still lack basic necessities.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
"You could drive a Mack Truck through the loopholes in Pennsylvania’s campaign finance rules," election law attorney Larry Otter told @spotlightpa.org @stephenjcaruso.bsky.social @katiemeyer.bsky.social www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/10...
spotlightpa.org
Why PA Supreme Court retention race spending is hard to track
Blame it on a mix of lagging reporting, weakly enforced rules, and a campaign finance system that requires little transparency.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
It's not often that I get to interview other journalists. This is the exception. May we all aspire to live such an exemplary life as Michael Days, former editor at the Philly Daily News and @inquirer.com and NABJ- Philadelphia president. www.inquirer.com/obituaries/m...
inquirer.com
Michael Days, pioneering journalist who led the Philadelphia Daily News during its 2010 Pulitzer Prize win for investigative reporting, has died at 72
Days was a mentor to countless young journalists and was president of the National Association of Black Journalists-Philadelphia.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
Today I helped cover the No Kings protest in Philly along with several of my talented @inquirer.com colleagues. Here’s a liveblog of our coverage along with some pics www.inquirer.com/news/philade...
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Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 16/10/2025
As Philly’s rate of violence plummets to near-historic lows, police are also solving homicides at the highest rate in recent memory. The homicide clearance rate this year is around 90% — the highest in 40 years.
inquirer.com
Philly detectives are solving homicides at the highest rate in 40 years as violence plummets and tech improves
Still, nearly 800 killings between 2021 and 2023 have yet to result in an arrest, according to an Inquirer analysis.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
With the U.S. Navy in Philly, I asked its top officer about the bombing of boats in the Caribbean, Trump's efforts to politicize the military, and the deployments of soldiers and Marines in U.S. cities. Here's what he said @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/politics/nav...
inquirer.com
During Philadelphia visit, Navy’s top officer said he would follow ‘lawful’ orders to deploy troops ‘anywhere’
With the Navy in Philadelphia for its 250th anniversary, its chief of operations spoke about the military's role in a moment of heightened tension at home and at sea.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
The lawsuit states that the Trump administration’s deployment of Oregon National Guard and out-of-state National Guard troops in Portland is “unlawful, unconstitutional and undemocratic” and violates long-held concepts like federalism and states' rights. www.inquirer.com/politics/sha...
inquirer.com
Gov. Shapiro signs onto a lawsuit against the Trump administration over National Guard deployments to U.S. cities
Shapiro's support comes as President Trump seeks to send the National Guard to Oregon. A federal appeals court is expected to decided on it today.
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Jake Blumgart @jblumgart.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Check out the story @brettsholtis.bsky.social and I published this weekend on last Monday's Street's Committee hearing, where bicycle advocates and the Parker admin faced a series of setbacks at the hands of City Council: www.inquirer.com/news/bike-la...
inquirer.com
City Hall bike lane faces unclear future after Philadelphia City Councilmember Jeffery Young pumps the brakes on support
Councilmember Jeffery Young has hit the brakes on his bill authorizing a bike lane around City Hall after construction already started on the project.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
The union wants to lock in a new contract ahead of the 2026 tourist season in Philly, which they expect will drive up company profits and strain hotel staff. Approximately 190 union members are striking. My latest @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/news/sherato...
inquirer.com
Sheraton and Hampton hotel workers are on strike in Center City
Sheraton and Hampton hotel workers left their job sites and joined picket lines, seeking better pay and staffing levels ahead of an expected busy 2026 tourist season.
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Lisa Scheid @lisafscheid.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
share.inquirer.com/dnBmAe
share.inquirer.com
A ‘brazen’ Jeffrey Yass-backed mailer suggests the Pa. Supreme Court created the congressional map it actually threw out
“It’s probably the most shameless political ad I’ve ever seen,” said Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht in a rare interview.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Tanisha Long shared her thoughts online, and "within hours, her phone was lighting up with notifications: people trying to hack her Instagram, calling her racial slurs, and wishing her dead." My latest, a Ximena Conde collab @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/politics/cha...
inquirer.com
They talked about Charlie Kirk’s death on social media. Now, they’re getting death threats.
In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, local officials, lawyers and other professionals, teachers, and even teens have been targeted.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Stephen Wilkins shut off his tenants’ electricity, tossed a brick through a window, and even removed all of the doors and windows from their home, said former tenant Crystal Hall. “And then Wilkins sent a man to the house with a gun. And he killed her mother.” @ellierushing.bsky.social
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
State lawmakers still have not passed a budget, and the complex reasons behind the transit agency’s $213 million shortfall remain unaddressed. But for now, things are back to normal. Sort of. www.inquirer.com/transportati...
inquirer.com
As SEPTA restores bus and rail service, here’s what you need to know
Routes are returning, fares are increasing, and the underlying funding shortfall has not been addressed.
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Jake Blumgart @jblumgart.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
some of the last large undeveloped lots in Port Richmond could be on their way to getting filled in www.inquirer.com/real-estate/...
inquirer.com
In Port Richmond, suburban developers seek to fill vacant lot with houses and apartments
The Jenkintown-based developers are proposing 162 houses and apartments.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
"FBI agents aided by local police arrested private-equity investor Daryl Heller outside his Lancaster County home Wednesday..." @inquirer.com Joseph N. DiStefano reports: www.inquirer.com/business/dar...
inquirer.com
Daryl Heller indicted in Lancaster County ATM fraud that raised $770 million from investors
Federal investigators can't yet say how much investors, which included Plain families, might get back of the $402 million they are owed.
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Jake Blumgart @jblumgart.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
My profile of the redevelopment of the Willow Street steam plant! www.inquirer.com/real-estate/...
inquirer.com
Inside Callowhill’s Willow Street plant as it is transformed into apartments
The long neglected industrial building will see new life as an apartment building after a half-century of vacancy.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
After the 2024 election, I wondered if I had wasted my time tracking Heather Honey, whose group had been setting up lanes to claim the election was rigged if Trump lost. Now, I'm glad we kept tabs on her and glad my story about efforts to remove voters from rolls was included in this piece.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
With Lebanon County-based conservative activist Heather Honey newly appointed to oversee “election integrity” in Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, I’m re-sharing this thread from last year. Honey spent the past few years organizing people who believed Dems rigged the 2020 election.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
Personal news: I have joined the Philadelphia @inquirer.com as part of its Inquirer Weekend team. I could not be more excited! Lancaster: Thank you for trusting me with your stories these past few years. Philly: Don't be a stranger, send me your story ideas, theories, etc.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
The SEC has staked a claim against embattled Lancaster County businessman Daryl Heller. The federal agency said it has been investigating "certain pre-bankruptcy transactions and practices” involving Heller. @lancasteronline.bsky.social lancasteronline.com/news/local/a...
lancasteronline.com
ATM businessman Daryl Heller hit with federal Securities and Exchange Commission claim
Another federal agency has staked a claim against embattled Lancaster County businessman Daryl Heller.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
A luxury a-frame lodge, farmland, an active natural gas drilling site... part of over $4M in real estate, tied to ATM businessman Daryl Heller, that could get swept up in bankruptcy. My latest @lancasteronline.bsky.social lancasteronline.com/news/local/o...
lancasteronline.com
Over $4M in real estate tied to ATM businessman Daryl Heller could get swept up in bankruptcy
A luxury A-frame lodge, a dozen mobile homes, hundreds of acres of farmland and an active gas drilling well pad are among the properties owned by businesses that Lancaster County
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Strike art at Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr. library, Philadelphia ☠️
A decorative Halloween skeleton sits outside the Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr. library, where it holds a sign reading “waiting for my contract still…”. Another sign says kids need to learn to spell and makes a joking reference to an incident where Philly Mayor Cherelle Parker led an Eagles chant and misspelled Eagles. Philadelphia city workers are on strike, leading to the closure of some libraries and other city services.
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Brett Sholtis @brettsholtis.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
The bill requiring cyber charter schools to see students online once a week came after the 2024 death of a 12-year-old attending Commonwealth Charter Academy who was allegedly tortured and starved. CCA faces a wrongful death suit. @katiemeyer.bsky.social www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/07...
spotlightpa.org
Cyber charter school fights PA law on student wellness checks
Facing a wrongful death suit, Commonwealth Charter Academy says it’s “unreasonable” to expect its staff to see and hear from all 30K students weekly.
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