Charles Thompson
@chasthompson.bsky.social
Covering the news and (we hope) other interesting things for PennLive.com. Bills/Phils/OCNJ fan. Beth's husband. Andrew and Sarah's pere. Carlisle High / W&L trained. Est. 1961.
JUST IN: Harrisburg-area District Justice Sonya McKnight found guilty of shooting her ex in the head. Story from
@jonpberg right here:
tinyurl.com/4skfkbmr
@jonpberg right here:
tinyurl.com/4skfkbmr
Jury convicts Harrisburg judge of trying to kill ex-boyfriend after breakup
Suspended Harrisburg district judge Sonya McKnight shot her ex-boyfriend in the head, an out-of-county jury determined Wednesday.
tinyurl.com
April 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
JUST IN: Harrisburg-area District Justice Sonya McKnight found guilty of shooting her ex in the head. Story from
@jonpberg right here:
tinyurl.com/4skfkbmr
@jonpberg right here:
tinyurl.com/4skfkbmr
Closure? healing? That happens differently for each person. But there were some remarkable moments of grace in the sentencing of New Cumberland cop-killer Seifullah Abdul-Salaam. We try to explain here:
tinyurl.com/2j67w2f2
tinyurl.com/2j67w2f2
The damage done, nightmare New Cumberland cop-killing case ends with moments of grace
Convicted cop-killer Seifullah Abdul-Salaam offered his first public apologies Friday for the line-of-duty shooting of New Cumberland Patrol Officer Willis Cole.
tinyurl.com
April 4, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Closure? healing? That happens differently for each person. But there were some remarkable moments of grace in the sentencing of New Cumberland cop-killer Seifullah Abdul-Salaam. We try to explain here:
tinyurl.com/2j67w2f2
tinyurl.com/2j67w2f2
For my fellow Francophiles:
tinyurl.com/mrcw5dfn
tinyurl.com/mrcw5dfn
Marine Le Pen Barred From French Presidential Run After Embezzlement Ruling
The sentence made the far-right leader ineligible for five years, excluding her from the 2027 election unless she can secure a more favorable outcome on appeal.
tinyurl.com
March 31, 2025 at 6:31 PM
For my fellow Francophiles:
tinyurl.com/mrcw5dfn
tinyurl.com/mrcw5dfn
Hard to believe, but this 1994 death penalty case is coming back to life in county court this month:
tinyurl.com/fvasme5c
tinyurl.com/fvasme5c
Death penalty retrial reopens wounds in Cumberland County police officer’s 1994 killing
30 years after his conviction in Officer Willis Cole's death, defendant Seifullah Abdul-Salaam is getting a new sentencing hearing.
tinyurl.com
March 12, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Hard to believe, but this 1994 death penalty case is coming back to life in county court this month:
tinyurl.com/fvasme5c
tinyurl.com/fvasme5c
I've sampled it a fair amount over the last few years, and I can now say that the Music Choice "Reggae" channel is one of my life's great disappointments.
March 8, 2025 at 6:49 PM
I've sampled it a fair amount over the last few years, and I can now say that the Music Choice "Reggae" channel is one of my life's great disappointments.
You notice these buildings are going up all over growing South Central Pa. in our quest for somewhat affordable housing.
This recent example shows fire protections work well in the living units, but if fires get outside that area, look out: tinyurl.com/3n49e9sc
This recent example shows fire protections work well in the living units, but if fires get outside that area, look out: tinyurl.com/3n49e9sc
How and why did this central Pa. apartment fire grow so big?
It's been described as one of the biggest fires Carlisle's seen in years and 40 people were displaced. Building codes, a slow report, and manpower concerns all contributed. But, there were no major in...
tinyurl.com
March 4, 2025 at 1:26 PM
You notice these buildings are going up all over growing South Central Pa. in our quest for somewhat affordable housing.
This recent example shows fire protections work well in the living units, but if fires get outside that area, look out: tinyurl.com/3n49e9sc
This recent example shows fire protections work well in the living units, but if fires get outside that area, look out: tinyurl.com/3n49e9sc
Closures are tough, and you have to empathize with these communities.
But being realistic about it, enrollment at many of these
@penn_state satellites is really tiny... Students would have other options through @PASSHE schools and community colleges: tinyurl.com/2j3n9e8k
But being realistic about it, enrollment at many of these
@penn_state satellites is really tiny... Students would have other options through @PASSHE schools and community colleges: tinyurl.com/2j3n9e8k
Final say on Penn State campus closures might not involve the university’s governing board
Penn State could close up to 12 of its 20 commonwealth campuses. It’s unclear what authority the Board of Trustees has in approving the university president’s plan.
tinyurl.com
March 4, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Closures are tough, and you have to empathize with these communities.
But being realistic about it, enrollment at many of these
@penn_state satellites is really tiny... Students would have other options through @PASSHE schools and community colleges: tinyurl.com/2j3n9e8k
But being realistic about it, enrollment at many of these
@penn_state satellites is really tiny... Students would have other options through @PASSHE schools and community colleges: tinyurl.com/2j3n9e8k
My colleague Jenna Wise with another harrowing account from the tragic events from UPMC Memorial in York.
Telling / sharing these stories helps us not normalize these situations, I feel:
tinyurl.com/2p9bznf4
Telling / sharing these stories helps us not normalize these situations, I feel:
tinyurl.com/2p9bznf4
Injured nurse limped into bathroom, FaceTimed parents during UPMC shooting
“Jesus and my wife sacrificed their life, you need to, too!," the gunman reportedly told the nurse during the ordeal at a York County hospital.
tinyurl.com
February 27, 2025 at 10:35 PM
My colleague Jenna Wise with another harrowing account from the tragic events from UPMC Memorial in York.
Telling / sharing these stories helps us not normalize these situations, I feel:
tinyurl.com/2p9bznf4
Telling / sharing these stories helps us not normalize these situations, I feel:
tinyurl.com/2p9bznf4
Survivors of Saturday's York, Pa. hospital shooting are coming forward with their stories. We don't always get such clear windows into these stories...
What a sad and terrifying ordeal for all:
tinyurl.com/md5ymw9x
What a sad and terrifying ordeal for all:
tinyurl.com/md5ymw9x
2nd UPMC nurse hostage describes ‘wall of officers’ who saved her from gunman as bullets flew
Tosha Trostle, of Hanover, got trapped under the gunman's body after the shootout with police. 'I remember his limp, cold hand.'
tinyurl.com
February 27, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Survivors of Saturday's York, Pa. hospital shooting are coming forward with their stories. We don't always get such clear windows into these stories...
What a sad and terrifying ordeal for all:
tinyurl.com/md5ymw9x
What a sad and terrifying ordeal for all:
tinyurl.com/md5ymw9x
Some essential news you can use from @ZahriahBWrites on how to avoid 21st Century pick-pocketing.
tinyurl.com/575ws5z3
tinyurl.com/575ws5z3
Card skimmers are on the rise. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself
Tapping to pay can be safer than swiping or inserting a card at a checkout register, according to these experts.
tinyurl.com
February 21, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Some essential news you can use from @ZahriahBWrites on how to avoid 21st Century pick-pocketing.
tinyurl.com/575ws5z3
tinyurl.com/575ws5z3
Divided government like that in Pa. has its benefits sometimes, but the perils are that sometimes the most fixable of problems never get fixed.
Here's one such situation, that is kind of an offense against all property taxpayers when you think about it:
tinyurl.com/yc5ecden
Here's one such situation, that is kind of an offense against all property taxpayers when you think about it:
tinyurl.com/yc5ecden
Cyber school funding formula ‘needs to change’ after audit findings: Pa. auditor general
Pa. Auditor General Tiimothy DeFoor called for reforms to the state's cyber charter funding formula following an audit of five schools.
tinyurl.com
February 21, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Divided government like that in Pa. has its benefits sometimes, but the perils are that sometimes the most fixable of problems never get fixed.
Here's one such situation, that is kind of an offense against all property taxpayers when you think about it:
tinyurl.com/yc5ecden
Here's one such situation, that is kind of an offense against all property taxpayers when you think about it:
tinyurl.com/yc5ecden
Iron Mountain has been in the news a lot this week...
Long before it caught @ElonMusk's gaze, though, @JanMurphy took us on a tour of this one-of-a-kind place. Good time to revisit this one:
tinyurl.com/thcut4t5
Long before it caught @ElonMusk's gaze, though, @JanMurphy took us on a tour of this one-of-a-kind place. Good time to revisit this one:
tinyurl.com/thcut4t5
Inside Iron Mountain
After a year's worth of planning, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency moved its data center from a building next to its Harrisburg headquarters to an underground storage facility in an...
tinyurl.com
February 13, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Iron Mountain has been in the news a lot this week...
Long before it caught @ElonMusk's gaze, though, @JanMurphy took us on a tour of this one-of-a-kind place. Good time to revisit this one:
tinyurl.com/thcut4t5
Long before it caught @ElonMusk's gaze, though, @JanMurphy took us on a tour of this one-of-a-kind place. Good time to revisit this one:
tinyurl.com/thcut4t5
Looks like the Harrisburg University's concert series is officially dead. But, have no fear, live music lovers, a substitute is in the works at the very cool Riverfront Park venue:
tinyurl.com/jve64xcy
tinyurl.com/jve64xcy
Dauphin County swoops in to save popular summer concert series in Harrisburg
The move comes after Harrisburg University seemingly canceled its annual slate of shows and laid off the organizing staff.
tinyurl.com
February 12, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Looks like the Harrisburg University's concert series is officially dead. But, have no fear, live music lovers, a substitute is in the works at the very cool Riverfront Park venue:
tinyurl.com/jve64xcy
tinyurl.com/jve64xcy
This is very gratifying news: tinyurl.com/2j63k7rn
Pa. schoolteacher has been released from Russia, White House says
Trump’s national security adviser described the release to a step toward ending the war in Ukraine.
tinyurl.com
February 11, 2025 at 10:06 PM
This is very gratifying news: tinyurl.com/2j63k7rn
ICYMI: SCI-Rockview, a 110-year-old prison that once housed the state's electric chair, is one of two prisons that the PA Department of Corrections has proposed to close in FY 2025-26.
tinyurl.com/5y8ea2zs
tinyurl.com/5y8ea2zs
Shapiro administration names the state prisons it wants to close
The announcement opens up a 3-month public comment period, including public hearings, before a final decision is made. Gov. Josh Shapiro called for the closures in his 2025-26 budget proposal.
tinyurl.com
February 10, 2025 at 10:46 PM
ICYMI: SCI-Rockview, a 110-year-old prison that once housed the state's electric chair, is one of two prisons that the PA Department of Corrections has proposed to close in FY 2025-26.
tinyurl.com/5y8ea2zs
tinyurl.com/5y8ea2zs
A baseline fact on proposed state prison closures in
@GovernorShapiro
's budget.
DOC's inmate population was 44,967 in 12-19, year before the last prison closure. Inmate pop. was 38,252 on 12-31-24.
Avg. inmate count per facility now?: 1,593
What's next: tinyurl.com/yc5suftj
@GovernorShapiro
's budget.
DOC's inmate population was 44,967 in 12-19, year before the last prison closure. Inmate pop. was 38,252 on 12-31-24.
Avg. inmate count per facility now?: 1,593
What's next: tinyurl.com/yc5suftj
Pa. Department of Corrections, officers' union square off over plan to close prisons
While the state hopes to "manage costs without compromising employee or public safety,” the union has concerns about both safety and transparency.
tinyurl.com
February 6, 2025 at 3:17 PM
A baseline fact on proposed state prison closures in
@GovernorShapiro
's budget.
DOC's inmate population was 44,967 in 12-19, year before the last prison closure. Inmate pop. was 38,252 on 12-31-24.
Avg. inmate count per facility now?: 1,593
What's next: tinyurl.com/yc5suftj
@GovernorShapiro
's budget.
DOC's inmate population was 44,967 in 12-19, year before the last prison closure. Inmate pop. was 38,252 on 12-31-24.
Avg. inmate count per facility now?: 1,593
What's next: tinyurl.com/yc5suftj
Why is Pennsylvania thinking about taking over a cave? Hot and fresh answers here: tinyurl.com/ye22sm5h
Gov. Shapiro goes deep underground with new state park proposal
Shapiro teased plans to establish Pennsylvania's first underground state park in his new budget proposal Tuesday. Here's what it's all about and why it could happen.
tinyurl.com
February 6, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Why is Pennsylvania thinking about taking over a cave? Hot and fresh answers here: tinyurl.com/ye22sm5h
More on Gov. Shapiro's plan to legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania:
tinyurl.com/mtu66x4c
tinyurl.com/mtu66x4c
Peter Tosh - Legalize It (Audio)
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
tinyurl.com
February 5, 2025 at 7:51 PM
More on Gov. Shapiro's plan to legalize marijuana in Pennsylvania:
tinyurl.com/mtu66x4c
tinyurl.com/mtu66x4c
Big money. Politics. Marijuana. Gambling.... A lost episode of "Ozark"? Naw... just a full preview of @governorshapiro.bsky.social's state budget address, coming Tuesday to a Capitol near you!:
tinyurl.com/3c9tkvzr
tinyurl.com/3c9tkvzr
Shapiro budget to star schools, transportation and competitiveness, as GOP seeks restraint
Gov. Josh Shapiro will unveil his 2025-26 state budget proposal to legislators Tuesday. Here's a look at the lay of Pennsylvania's fiscal land.
tinyurl.com
February 3, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Big money. Politics. Marijuana. Gambling.... A lost episode of "Ozark"? Naw... just a full preview of @governorshapiro.bsky.social's state budget address, coming Tuesday to a Capitol near you!:
tinyurl.com/3c9tkvzr
tinyurl.com/3c9tkvzr
How do you count the homeless? On some nights, you just search:
tinyurl.com/5dktxxxj
tinyurl.com/5dktxxxj
To count homeless, central Pa. volunteers spend a frigid night searching tents, cars
In Cumberland County, workers find dozens of unsheltered people but concede the Point-in-Time count won't capture the full scope of the problem.
tinyurl.com
January 25, 2025 at 12:15 AM
How do you count the homeless? On some nights, you just search:
tinyurl.com/5dktxxxj
tinyurl.com/5dktxxxj
Really interesting interview here with former Lebanon County police officer and J621 defendant Joe Fischer, who, now pardoned, gets his day in the Court of Public Opinion via
@JohnLuciew:
tinyurl.com/bd95zka2
@JohnLuciew:
tinyurl.com/bd95zka2
Ex-Pa. cop pardoned in J6 Capitol riot: ‘Never been happier than today’
Pardoned by President Trump, former Lebanon County police officer Joseph Fischer charged in the J6 Capitol riots tells his story.
tinyurl.com
January 24, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Really interesting interview here with former Lebanon County police officer and J621 defendant Joe Fischer, who, now pardoned, gets his day in the Court of Public Opinion via
@JohnLuciew:
tinyurl.com/bd95zka2
@JohnLuciew:
tinyurl.com/bd95zka2
This, politically speaking, doesn't seem realistic given the super-majority rules for Constitutional amendments.
But just the idea getting breath shows how deeply into the cult of personality some Trump supporters are, right?:
tinyurl.com/4vjta3jh
But just the idea getting breath shows how deeply into the cult of personality some Trump supporters are, right?:
tinyurl.com/4vjta3jh
GOP lawmaker introduces amendment to allow Trump to seek third term
A Tennessee congressman introduced a Constitutional amendment that would allow Donald Trump and future presidents to serve three terms, citing the need to reverse this "nation's decay."
tinyurl.com
January 24, 2025 at 3:55 PM
This, politically speaking, doesn't seem realistic given the super-majority rules for Constitutional amendments.
But just the idea getting breath shows how deeply into the cult of personality some Trump supporters are, right?:
tinyurl.com/4vjta3jh
But just the idea getting breath shows how deeply into the cult of personality some Trump supporters are, right?:
tinyurl.com/4vjta3jh
This was a case that jarred the community this summer just as an epic tragedy.
While the official investigation grinds on, the Maciejewski family is bravely stepping through their pain and grief to try to help others. That's extraordinary. What they said:
tinyurl.com/2s37cyjn
While the official investigation grinds on, the Maciejewski family is bravely stepping through their pain and grief to try to help others. That's extraordinary. What they said:
tinyurl.com/2s37cyjn
College football coach’s son, 13, was a victim of ‘sextortion’ before shooting death
The Shippensburg case is being treated as a homicide because of the actions of an 'online predator," the boy's family said.
tinyurl.com
January 3, 2025 at 11:08 PM
This was a case that jarred the community this summer just as an epic tragedy.
While the official investigation grinds on, the Maciejewski family is bravely stepping through their pain and grief to try to help others. That's extraordinary. What they said:
tinyurl.com/2s37cyjn
While the official investigation grinds on, the Maciejewski family is bravely stepping through their pain and grief to try to help others. That's extraordinary. What they said:
tinyurl.com/2s37cyjn
They don't file those post-election reports for nothing.
Here, @katehuangpu.bsky.social takes a look at fundraising for top Pa. state government races from '24, including the vast reach of one Mr. Jeffrey Yass:
tinyurl.com/38vs9ru9
Here, @katehuangpu.bsky.social takes a look at fundraising for top Pa. state government races from '24, including the vast reach of one Mr. Jeffrey Yass:
tinyurl.com/38vs9ru9
A small group of donors dominated these high-profile Pa. races during the 2024 election
Groups associated with billionaire Jeff Yass, the Democratic Party, and those that don’t reveal their donors spent nearly $40M on critical races.
tinyurl.com
January 2, 2025 at 3:02 PM
They don't file those post-election reports for nothing.
Here, @katehuangpu.bsky.social takes a look at fundraising for top Pa. state government races from '24, including the vast reach of one Mr. Jeffrey Yass:
tinyurl.com/38vs9ru9
Here, @katehuangpu.bsky.social takes a look at fundraising for top Pa. state government races from '24, including the vast reach of one Mr. Jeffrey Yass:
tinyurl.com/38vs9ru9
If you're going to spend some time in Pennsylvania in 2025, you'll want to know what's up.
Here's an early look at some newsmakers / issues that are sure to grab our attention.(Surprises not included):
tinyurl.com/5n8h3r8z
Here's an early look at some newsmakers / issues that are sure to grab our attention.(Surprises not included):
tinyurl.com/5n8h3r8z
The world will be watching these Pennsylvanians in 2025. Will you?
From politics to pop music, these folks are decidedly in as the new year starts.
tinyurl.com
December 31, 2024 at 4:03 PM
If you're going to spend some time in Pennsylvania in 2025, you'll want to know what's up.
Here's an early look at some newsmakers / issues that are sure to grab our attention.(Surprises not included):
tinyurl.com/5n8h3r8z
Here's an early look at some newsmakers / issues that are sure to grab our attention.(Surprises not included):
tinyurl.com/5n8h3r8z