Pennsylvania to toughen gun laws in domestic violence cases
The bill will force people in Pennsylvania with a domestic violence ruling against them to more quickly surrender their gun.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania spans rustbelt cities, rural farmland, and a storied political landscape — making its progress stories varied and telling. This archive covers environmental wins, public health advances, community rebuilding, and civic efforts across the state.
Pennsylvanians can now file LGBTQ discrimination complaints
For the first time ever, LGBTQ Pennsylvanians have a way to seek recourse from the state if they’re the subject of discrimination based on their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Pennsylvania court throws out state’s congressional map, ruling that gerrymandering violates constitution
In the Democratic-controlled court’s decision, the majority said the boundaries “clearly, plainly and palpably” violate the state’s constitution and blocked the boundaries from remaining in effect for the 2018 elections with just weeks until dozens of people file paperwork to run for Congress.
Robert Austrian and colleagues win approval for the first pneumococcal vaccine
The first modern pneumococcal vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1977, ending a century-long hunt to tame one of humanity’s deadliest bacteria. Physician Robert Austrian had shown that many patients died within 96 hours of infection, before antibiotics could help. Prevention, not just cure, finally had a tool.
U.S. opens one of the world’s first plastic recycling mills in Pennsylvania
Plastic recycling took an early industrial step in 1972, when a mill opened in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, betting that discarded plastic could be reclaimed instead of buried. Workers sorted resins by hand before shredding, melting, and extruding them into pellets manufacturers could reuse. It was a small, imperfect start to a loop the world is still trying to close.