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Banking & Finance

Nonprofit lender hires finance, credit chiefs

Lancaster-based nonprofit lender Community First Fund has filled a pair of C-suite roles.  Elizabeth Bennett has been named the lender’s CFO, while Ed Gallagher has been named chief credit officer. Bennett worked most recently as CFO for Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in Lancaster and has also held finance roles at Lancaster Theological Seminary and Ephrata-based D&E Communications. Bennett succeeds Lloyd […]

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Orrstown, PeoplesBank to merge in $270M deal

A pair of longstanding local banks are coming together in a merger valued at $207 million. Under the all-stock deal, dubbed a merger of equals, the York County-based parent of PeoplesBank is merging into Shippensburg-based Orrstown Financial. The combined bank — which will take the Orrstown name — would have assets of roughly $5.2 billion and a network of 51 […]

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What’s ahead for Camp Hill bank

Thanks to a single deal, Linkbancorp went this year from doing business in one state to doing business in five. That deal was the bank’s merger this fall with Maryland-based Partners Bancorp. The all-stock deal closed at the end of November, followed by a bankwide conversion to the Linkbank brand over the first weekend in December, according to Andrew Samuel, […]

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VC firms land government funding

State officials are directing federal funds toward venture capital firms they hope can jumpstart early-stage tech companies in Pennsylvania. The firms are Allegheny County-based BTVC Fund I LLP, which is receiving $1.5 million, and Atlanta-based Metallum Ventures LP, which is getting $2.25 million. The funding, announced yesterday, comes from the State Small Business Credit Initiative, a federal program that […]

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Defamation claim raised in suit over fraud loss

Mid Penn Bank is firing back at claims it did not adequately protect a nonprofit from fraud. In a legal filing this month, the Harrisburg-based bank alleges that the Center for Independent Living of Central Pennsylvania harmed the bank’s reputation in a press release issued in February announcing a lawsuit against the bank. In the press release, the center claimed […]

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Alleged bank fraud hits local, national targets

State authorities on Friday disclosed what they say was a widespread bank-fraud operation in Central Pennsylvania that drained nearly $2 million from the accounts of victims. Two men have been arrested in connection with the fraud but a criminal complaint lists nine other people. More charges are expected, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office, […]

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Brokerage buys capital-area advisory firm

A Harrisburg-area financial advisory has joined the wave of consolidation washing over the industry. Comprehensive Financial Associates, based in Susquehanna Township, has been acquired by insurance and benefits brokerage AssuredPartners, according to a press release from Wise Rhino Group, the M&A firm that advised Comprehensive Financial. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. But it also includes […]

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Lancaster advisory firm sold 

Amid a wave of consolidation in the financial planning sector, Lancaster-based Domani Wealth has been purchased by a larger firm based in Illinois. The acquisition is the fourth this year for the firm, Savant Wealth Management, which is based in Rockford, west of Chicago. Terms of the deal were not disclosed but Domani will keep its existing leadership, […]

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Mid Penn filing blames Citi for nonprofit’s loss

New York-based Citibank should be held liable for any losses suffered by a Harrisburg-based nonprofit that claims it was the victim of fraud, according to a legal filing by Mid Penn Bank.  The nonprofit, the Center for Independent Living of Central PA, sued Mid Penn over the loss in February. Fraudsters allegedly managed to access two of the nonprofit’s accounts at […]

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Nonprofit sues bank after alleged account fraud

Fraudsters drained nearly $250,000 from bank accounts of the Center for Independent Living of Central PA, and the Harrisburg-based nonprofit wants its bank, Mid Penn Bank, to refund the money, according to a lawsuit filed last week in Dauphin County court. The Harrisburg-based bank allegedly failed to enforce “commercially reasonable” security controls on the accounts and thus […]

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PA Court OKs tax refund over location issue

In a case that could have far-reaching implications for corporate taxpayers, the state’s highest court has awarded a $2.1 million tax refund to a Pennsylvania-based arm of Johnson & Johnson. Reached last week, the decision hinged on what sounds like a simple question: Whether the company owed taxes in Pennsylvania based on services produced in this […]

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Camp Hill bank to merge with Delmarva peer

Camp Hill-based LinkBancorp has struck a deal that will extend its footprint into Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia. The bank said yesterday it has agreed to a “merger of equals” with Partners Bancorp, a Salisbury, Maryland-based bank with a long history in the Delmarva region. The all-stock deal is valued at $167.8 million, according to a press […]

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PennSpring scoops up STEM camp operator

A Lancaster-based private equity firm is taking a third shot at the youth-enrichment market, a space where it has found success in the past. PennSpring Capital has acquired Emagination Tech Camps, which has been rebranded as Emagination STEM Camps, according to Lou Castelli, PennSpring’s managing partner. The previous owner was a private investor who bought the company during […]

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Suit aims to stop Centric merger

A shareholder of Centric Financial is seeking to block the Harrisburg-area bank’s planned merger into a western Pennsylvania bank. In a class-action lawsuit filed this month in Cumberland County court, shareholder Charles Reinhardt claims the $144 million deal undervalues Centric, which is based in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County. The lawsuit also takes aim at other terms of […]

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Banks seek more time, info on Welkowitz deal

Local banks are telling a Lancaster County court that they need more time and information to assess a deal that would settle debts from the estate of the late developer Richard Welkowitz. The estate has proposed selling off its stake in ventures that own more than 5,000 ATMs for $13.8 million to a Lancaster-based private equity firm, Heller […]

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Construction

High court rules in dispute over PA wage law

Pennsylvania’s top court has backed a lower court’s decision in a closely watched case involving application of the state’s prevailing wage law. The case hinged on conflicting views of the law, which sets a minimum wage for workers on publicly funded projects.  What’s the issue: Whether prevailing wages should be paid on a private-sector project […]

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State winnows applicants for new site-prep funding

State officials have narrowed the list of projects they are considering for a new funding program designed to prep industrial sites for development. The program, announced last fall by the Shapiro administration, drew more than 100 applicants seeking a total of more than $236 million. Officials are now focusing on a short list of 32 […]

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Plan unveiled for suburban Harrisburg mall

A Maryland developer has revealed its vision for what will replace the Harrisburg Mall, a longtime suburban destination destined for the wrecking ball. Baltimore-based St. John Properties is proposing a roughly 550,000 square-foot development — dubbed Swatara Exchange — that includes a mix of retail and commercial buildings, with a smidgen of office space. While the plan calls for […]

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Kinsley, Royal Square partner on $7M apartment project

Kinsley Properties and Royal Square Development & Construction have formed a joint venture to convert a vacant office building in downtown York into a 43-unit apartment. The 38,000 square-foot building is the former Fox Bakery at 204 N. George St., not far from WellSpan Park.  Construction on the $7 million project began this week and is expected to wrap […]

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Fast-growing remodeler opens Texas office

Two years after christening a brand-new headquarters in Cumberland County, West Shore Home has opened its third corporate office. This one is an 82,000 square facility in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas, that includes office space for more than 120 employees. “West Shore Home is growing at an explosive rate and this is the next step in our goal […]

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Court ruling could expand contractors’ liability

Contractors typically face some liability for issues that arise after they finish their work for a property owner. A Supreme Court ruling this week potentially expands that liability. In a split opinion, justices ruled that a contractor could be held liable for allegedly defective work even if the property owner knew there was a problem. Under […]

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Land-use fights flare across Central PA

The ground may be cold but battles over land use in Central Pennsylvania are heating up. Residents and developers are clashing on several fronts across the region. Not surprisingly, proposed warehouses are among the sharpest points of contention. Large-scale solar projects have triggered outcries, as well. But disputes also have arisen over housing, most notably in […]

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Flagger Force sells stake to investment firm

With spending on bridges and highways expected to ramp up, a Florida-based investment firm has bought into Flagger Force, a Hummelstown-based company whose crews can be found directing traffic around work sites. Blue Sea Capital said yesterday it had invested in Flagger Force as part of a strategic partnership to support the company’s growth. Terms of the deal […]

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Two Kinsley brothers die in avalanche during ski trip

York County has lost two of its most prominent business and philanthropic leaders. Brothers Jonathan and Timothy Kinsley died Monday while on a skiing trip in British Columbia. Jonathan, 59, was an executive with York-based Kinsley Enterprises, which oversees the Kinsley family’s business assets, including Kinsley Construction. Timothy, 57, was president of Kinsley Properties, a real estate development […]

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Low-interest loan bolsters Lancaster apartment project

Construction on $15 million affordable-housing project in Lancaster city is pulling closer to the starting bell. The developer, a Lancaster-based real estate investment fund called OZFund Inc., has landed a low-interest $1.8 million loan to help cover the costs of stormwater remediation and a “green roof” for the project, which is slated for 800 S. Queen St. […]

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Longtime CEO to retire from regional engineering firm

Robert Grubic is retiring as CEO of the engineering firm that has borne his name for just over four decades. As of the end of this year, the next CEO of Harrisburg-based Herbert Rowland & Grubic will be Jason Fralick, who has been its president since 2019.Grubic plans to remain chairman of the board at the employee-owned company.“HRG […]

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Camp Hill firm forges ahead with $29M project

A mixed-use development is taking shape along Route 15 in Upper Allen Township, Cumberland County. Camp Hill developer Linlo Properties began site work in May for the project, dubbed The Mills at Shepherdstown Crossing.Once completed, it will bring 54 apartments, retail space, a Burger King and a Chick-fil-A to the intersection of Gettysburg Pike and South Market Street, which offers access to […]

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Court rejects expanded view of prevailing-wage law

A state court has reversed a decision that could have added millions of dollars in costs to construction projects financed with bonds issued by municipal authorities. The ruling last week by Commonwealth Court revolved around interpretations of the state’s prevailing-wage law, which sets a minimum wage for workers on projects funded by public money.The case arose […]

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Regional construction firm changes hands

When Seth Hughes first stepped onto a construction site as a teenager, he didn’t think about owning a construction company someday. But as his career advanced, it started to emerge as a goal, Hughes said.The goal is now a reality. Hughes has purchased Mechanicsburg-based Mowery Construction from its previous owner, David Cross. The pair began laying the groundwork […]

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Deal adds IT talent for West Shore Home

Home remodeler West Shore Home has long described itself as a technology-enabled company. The Mechanicsburg-based firm now owns a technology company.West Shore Home said yesterday it has purchased Design Center Inc., a firm based in St. Paul, Minnesota.Terms of the deal were not disclosed but it adds 23 employees to West Shore Home, which has been expanding nationally […]

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West Shore construction firm on the move

RLS Construction Group LLC is investing nearly $1.5 million to buy and remodel the former Hampden Township municipal building at 230 S. Sporting Hill Road. The new location in Cumberland County will allow the company to consolidate operations that are currently at two locations, said Bob Schopfer, owner, president and CEO of RLS Construction.The company […]

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Brewery on tap for mixed-use project

Burkentine Builders is gearing up to finish a mixed-use project that will bring another brewery to southern York County. The Hanover-based builder held a topping-off ceremony April 25 for the roughly $5 million project, which is bringing two buildings totaling 10,000 square feet of commercial space and 20 apartments to the borough of New Freedom.Construction […]

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Economy

entrepreneurship

Food

Efforts to bolster food aid gather steam during federal lapse

Businesses and charities in Central Pennsylvania are scrambling to blunt the effects of a lapse in federal food benefits that sustain tens of thousands of local residents. Nonprofits are working to shore up alternative sources of sustenance, while grocers and other retailers navigate the impact on revenue, product purchasing and employee scheduling. Retailers also are […]

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Niche Electronics

Niche Electronics, an electronics manufacturing services company, has restructured its leadership team. The new framework elevates a new vice president and creates four directors who will oversee important facets of the growing Shippensburg-based business. Yancey Strickler has been promoted the new role of vice president. He has 20 years of industry experience: 16 as a […]

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York-area warehouses sold

EQT, a Radnor-based real estate investment firm, said it has acquired a portfolio of 11 warehouses that includes two buildings in a recently constructed industrial park north of York city. An EQT spokesperson declined to disclose the terms, and no deeds were available online as of the end of last week. The York-area warehouses are […]

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PA judges at center of high-profile retention race

Pennsylvania voters will decide tomorrow whether to retain three Supreme Court justices in what has become one of the state’s most expensive and partisan judicial races ever. Those arguing in favor of retention, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, warn that “no” votes could jeopardize abortion and voting rights.  Those arguing against retention argue that the three justices in question […]

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Uncertainty surrounds shopping for health plans

Projections suggest that rising costs will dissuade Pennsylvania residents from buying health insurance through the state’s Obamacare exchange, known as Pennie. Those forecasts will now face a real-world test. Pennie’s open enrollment period starts tomorrow, Nov. 1, for people who want coverage in place for 2026. Enrollment through Pennie has been growing over the last […]

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Snack giant savors bigger slice of California market

Hanover may be the snack capital of the world. But the largest snack market in the U.S. is California, and Hanover-based Utz Brands wants to bite off a larger chunk. Utz said yesterday it acquired store delivery routes in the Golden State — and portions of the Midwest — from Colorado-based Insignia International. Terms of the transaction were not […]

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Saxton & Stump

David Chick has been hired as senior counsel in the appellate advocacy group of Lancaster-based law firm Saxton & Stump. He also is serving as a senior consultant with the firm’s human resources affiliate, TREW HR. Based in Harrisburg, Chick worked most recently served as deputy judicial clerk for both the Supreme Court and the […]

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Court spurns contractor’s appeal over civil penalties

The state’s high court this week rejected an appeal from a State College contractor accused more than four years ago in a high-profile case of wage theft. The contractor, Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc., challenged a state agency’s authority to bar it from state contracts based on alleged violations of Pennsylvania’s prevailing wage laws. In March, a lower […]

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McNees Wallace & Nurick

Harrisburg-based law firm McNees Wallace & Nurick has hired lawyers for its offices in Maryland and suburban Philadelphia. Katherine Takhounts Bonato has joined the firm’s Frederick, Maryland, office as an attorney in the real estate group. Before joining McNees, Bonato worked with title companies in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Bonato has a law degree […]

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Penn State hails ‘transformative’ $50M gift to children’s hospital

A New York state business leader and philanthropist has bestowed $50 million on Penn State Health Children’s Hospital in what is being described as a “transformative” gift. But the gift, announced yesterday, is about more than just money.  The 156-bed hospital in Derry Township, Dauphin County, is joining a new alliance of children’s hospitals named […]

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Pennian Bank

Suzy Teter has joined Pennian Bank as an assistant vice president and relationship banker based in the bank’s Lemoyne office. Teter, who lives in Duncannon worked most recently serving as a financial center manager for Mid Penn Bank. “Suzy’s commitment to serving as a trusted resource to businesses and organizations, as well her dedication to […]

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NYC attorney named to oversee Heller assets

A federal court has officially named a trustee to oversee the assets of Daryl Heller, the Lancaster County business owner who declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February after the collapse of an ATM network he led.  Heller also faces federal charges alleging he defrauded investors in the network, which did business as Paramount Management Group. The trustee […]

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Boyer & Ritter

Regional accounting and professional services firm Boyer & Ritter has hired seven staff members for a variety of roles. Darren Bailey joins Boyer & Ritter’s tax department as a supervisor. He worked most recently as a senior tax accountant with a York-based firm. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with concentrations in accounting […]

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Nonprofit buys York County land with goal of preservation

Nonprofit preservation group Lancaster Conservancy paid $3.5 million for a roughly 180-acre tract of forested land in Chanceford Township, York County, according to county deed records. The seller was a partnership called Stone Fence Acres LP, linked to Jeff Koons, an internationally acclaimed artist and York County native. The purchase price reflected the land’s appraised value, […]

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Distributor clears path to employee ownership

There were times it seemed too complicated to pull off. But after five years, the owners of Lancaster-area logistics business Founders Market & Co. found a way to start selling company shares to their employees. The owners — Scott Martino, Matt Stargel and Alex Thompson — began contemplating some form of employee ownership after they took […]

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RGS Associates

Bill Fredericks and Len Bradley have been named principals of  RGS Associates, a landscape architecture, land planning and civil engineering firm based in Lancaster. Fredericks, previously a client manager, has more than 15 years of experience in land development projects, including senior living communities, commercial developments and industrial sites. Bradley, previously an engineering supervisor, has […]

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Maple Donuts

Maple Donuts has hired a CEO following its sale in June to a consortium of private investors led by Swander Pace Capital. The new chief is Greg Somerville, who worked most recently as president and CEO of Savencia Cheese USA, a subsidiary of a French company. Somerville has more than 25 years of leadership experience in consumer goods, including […]

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Federal shutdown freezes SBA lending

The shutdown of the federal government is stalling a critical pipeline for loans to small businesses. Like the rest of the government, the U.S. Small Business Administration has been closed since Oct. 1. As a result, the agency is unable to formalize its guarantee to repay loans if small-business borrowers cannot.  The guarantees encourage lenders to […]

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Government

Licensing rules for ex-convicts hit snag

State officials may be taking another swing at drafting rules designed to make it easier for people with criminal records to earn professional licenses in Pennsylvania. That’s because a regulatory review panel gave the latest version a thumbs down at a meeting last week. Members of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission were concerned about some […]

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Law firm, lobbying firm team up in capital

A Harrisburg lobbying firm has formed a business affiliation with a Philadelphia-area law firm. Under the arrangement, lobbying shop The DT Firm and law firm Lamb McErlane will refer clients to each other, said Joel Frank, chairman and managing partner of Lamb McErlane. While many law firms have created in-house lobbying divisions over the last few years, Lamb McErlane […]

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Shapiro labor directive triggers blowback

Business groups are decrying a recent directive from Gov. Josh Shapiro designed to increase the state’s use of project labor agreements, deals that generally require the use of union labor on public projects. Issued last week, the directive calls on state agencies to review contract solicitations for capital projects to determine which ones would be good fits […]

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House panel OKs bills on wage, workplace discrimination

A state House panel has passed bills on party-line votes that would strengthen protections against workplace discrimination. One bill would lower the threshold for state anti-discrimination enforcement to businesses with as few as two employees, down from the current threshold of four. Another bill would tweak provisions covering gender-based wage discrimination. It would, for example, […]

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Senate panel OKs tweak to tax appeals

Disgruntled taxpayers in Pennsylvania would have a new option for disputing their tax bills under legislation approved yesterday by a state Senate panel. Sponsored by GOP state Sen. Tim Hutchinson, the bill would create an independent settlement process, potentially avoiding protracted court battles over tax bills, according to its supporters, which include the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs and […]

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Guv revives, revises carbon cap-and-trade

Appearing March 13 at a Scranton union hall, Gov. Josh Shapiro laid out plans for speeding up Pennsylvania’s shift to cleaner forms of electricity while creating jobs and capping carbon emissions from the power sector. The plans aim to bridge differences that have long divided environmentalists, labor groups, lawmakers and others with a stake in […]

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Zoners turn down housing plan for former country club

Efforts to redevelop the former Red Lion Country Club in York County have taken a second hit. At a meeting on Feb. 27, zoning officials in York Township voted 3-2 to deny a developer’s request for a special exception to allow age-restricted housing under the property’s current zoning, which is for commercial office. “I don’t […]

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Rules on licensing for ex-convicts near finish line

State regulators have tweaked regulations that modify the professional licensing process for people with criminal backgrounds, following stiff pushback from critics of the original proposal. The rules implement a 2020 state law making it easier for people with criminal convictions to become accountants, barbers, nurses and real estate agents, among the many other professions that require a […]

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Guv pitches new strategy for PA economy

Gov. Josh Shapiro laid out a vision for jumpstarting economic development in Pennsylvania during an address yesterday at OraSure Technologies, a medical diagnostics company in Bethlehem The 52-page strategy includes a mix of new funding, a focus on key industries and a series of other steps designed to make Pennsylvania more competitive in retaining and attracting workers and […]

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DEP eyes $500M program to slash industrial emissions

Pennsylvania’s environmental agency is hoping to snag up to half a billion dollars in federal funding to start a grant program focused on cutting carbon emissions from cement kilns, steel manufacturers and other industrial operations. If funded, the program would be called Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania, or RISE PA, according to the Department […]

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PA TAX-APPEAL PROCESS TARGETED FOR REFORM

Lawmakers are floating legislation they argue could lead to better results for Pennsylvania residents and businesses that challenge their state tax bills. The legislation would allow taxpayers in certain situations to file appeals past a statutory deadline. And in an effort to settle disputes more quickly, the legislation would create a new, independent mediation process. […]

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Pew survey rekindles debate over state-backed IRA

A new survey claims to show that three-quarters of Pennsylvania’s small-business owners support the creation of a state-backed retirement plan that would automatically enroll workers — the kind of plan that was approved earlier this year in the state House. Nearly a quarter, or 26%, “strongly support” the idea, according to the survey, conducted by The Pew Charitable […]

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Health Care

High court to hear dispute over prevailing wage

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving application of prevailing wages to a $17.2 million build-to-lease project for a State Police barracks and training center in Luzerne County. Administrative rulings sought to apply prevailing wages to the project, based on the notion that the state’s 20-year lease for the property essentially […]

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Dauphin County winery files bankruptcy, seeks buyer

A Dauphin County winery and related businesses have filed for bankruptcy as they look for a buyer for their operations. Spring Gate Winery parent company Schoffstall Farm LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 14 after experiencing six-figure losses in 2021 and 2022, according to a petition before U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of […]

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Bankrupty of Harrisburg apartment owner takes new turn

A new twist is complicating the bankruptcy case of Uptown Partners LP, the Maryland-based owner of Governor’s Square apartment complex in Uptown Harrisburg.  The company managing the affordable-housing complex, Landex Management LLC, is asking the court to void its contract with Uptown Partners, arguing that the owner is not providing enough resources to manage the beleaguered property […]

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High court rejects borough’s appeal over solar project

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided this week not to accept an appeal from Gratz Borough over a lower-court ruling that favored a company seeking to develop a solar farm in the northern Dauphin County municipality. The appeal followed a Commonwealth Court ruling last fall that the borough failed to properly advertise a meeting where it set stricter zoning standards […]

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PA’s top court to weigh coverage of CBD oil in workers’ comp

The state’s top court has agreed to hear a case that turns on whether employers must pay for CBD oil and other over-the-counter products under Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation program. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will consider several questions, including whether workers’ comp law requires employers and their insurers to reimburse injured workers who buy CBD oil and […]

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Feds settle with staffing firm over Covid-era data

An Atlanta-based IT staffing company has settled federal claims that it failed to protect confidential health information after Pennsylvania officials hired the company to oversee contact tracing during the Covid-19 pandemic.  The company, Insight Global LLC, has agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve allegations that its handling of data violated the federal False Claims Act, […]

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Harrisburg law firms merge: ‘No other opportunities like this’

Ben Ried and John B. Zonarich entertained merger proposals from other law firms. But none seemed as right as the union they unveiled yesterday between their respective Harrisburg firms, Mette Evans & Woodside and SkarlatosZonarich LLC. “There were other opportunities,” Zonarich said in an interview with biznewsPA. “But there were no other opportunities like this.” […]

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Court backs heftier fines for defrauding consumers

In a case that drew national attention, Pennsylvania’s highest court backed a married couple seeking a bigger award after winning a lawsuit against an insurer they accused of engaging in fraud and negligence when it sold them a life insurance policy. In 2020, an Allegheny County jury found the insurer, Ameriprise Financial, liable for $120,570 […]

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Regulators tweak penalties over PPL billing issues

Following a flurry of comments from customers and consumer advocates, state utility regulators altered the penalties imposed on electric utility PPL Electric Utilities over billing issues that led to overcharges for some customers, among other problems. In a 3-2 vote on April 25, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved a settlement agreement requiring PPL to provide more […]

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Feds target hiring practices at Sheetz

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing Sheetz, arguing that the company’s use of criminal background checks in hiring is discriminatory. The agency noted that Sheetz was not motivated by race in making hiring decisions. However, the agency claims that the convenience-store chain’s hiring practices disproportionately screened out job applicants who are Black, Native American, […]

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PA health systems sue insurer over value-based contract

A network of healthcare providers in western Pennsylvania is suing Aetna over what the providers allege is unfair treatment under the terms of a value-based contract. The contract took effect in 2023 and is supposed to reward the network, Bridges Health Partners, for reducing the cost of care while improving the health of people enrolled in Aetna’s Medicare […]

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Insurers sue local contractors over recycling-plant fire

On March 8, 2022, a fire ripped through a Penn Waste recycling facility in Manchester Township, York County, knocking it out of commission.  Now, three Penn Waste insurers are suing local contractors involved in building the facility and installing its sprinkler system. The insurers, which include Connecticut-based XL Insurance, are seeking to recover $26 million in damages from […]

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Manheim seeks dismissal of Lancaster stormwater suit

Manheim Township is firing back against a lawsuit aiming to hold it responsible for problems with the sewer system in neighboring Lancaster city. The lawsuit, filed in January by Lancaster city in Lancaster County court, argues that Manheim officials have not done enough to control stormwater from entering the city sewer system. The system serves homes […]

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Power-line developer notches victory as legal fight plows ahead

The legal fight continues over high-voltage power lines that would run through southern York and Franklin counties. The chief issue is whether state utility regulators overstepped constitutional bounds when they blocked the interstate project in May 2021. Proposed in 2017 by Ohio-based Transource, the $372 million Independence Energy Connection would ease congestion for power flowing from Pennsylvania to Maryland by […]

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Project dubbed ‘significant addition’ to Lancaster’s affordable housing stock

Lancaster-area officials, nonprofit executives and business leaders gathered yesterday to mark the next step in a nearly four-year journey to redevelop the former UPMC Lancaster campus along College Avenue. Nonprofit developer HDC MidAtlantic broke ground Feb. 7 on the first phase of redevelopment — a $23 million, 64-unit affordable-apartment building at 213 College Ave., the site of a vacant […]

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Concerns raised over pending sale of Harrisburg apartments

Tenants are raising a legal hurdle to the proposed sale of an affordable-apartment complex in uptown Harrisburg. A New Jersey firm bid just over $9.6 million to buy the complex, known as Governor’s Square, from its current owner, Uptown Partners, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year. The tenants, represented by an attorney from a Harrisburg-based nonprofit, […]

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Court OK sought for NJ firm to buy Harrisburg apartments

The bankrupt owner of an apartment complex in uptown Harrisburg is seeking court approval to sell the property to a New Jersey firm. ANCDI Properties is offering to pay just over $9.6 million for Governor’s Square, beating out two competing bids, according to a filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “My […]

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State court backs developer in warehouse spat

A state appeals court has sided with a local developer aiming to build a warehouse complex in Swatara Township, Dauphin County. The decision is the latest in a long-running battle over whether warehouses should be allowed on tracts along Route 322 east of Harrisburg, near Penhar Drive. State court shot down a previous developer’s efforts in […]

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York, Harrisburg firms on the move

The new year is poised to bring new digs to two local companies. Reynolds Restoration Services bought a flex property in suburban Harrisburg for its new headquarters. York County-based construction firm Wagman also has purchased a building for a new HQ, a property in Manchester Township, York County. Both companies said they are outgrowing their current spaces. Starting with: […]

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Highs donate real estate biz to family foundation

The High family is presenting a second major gift to their family foundation. The family’s ownership of Lancaster County-based High Real Estate Group is being transferred to High Foundation, the foundation announced on Dec. 20. The year-end gift follows the donation last year of High Industries, which was valued at nearly $115.2 million. The value of the real estate company was not disclosed but […]

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Inch appeals decision that nixed industrial development

An affiliate of real estate developer Inch & Co. is challenging a decision that reversed the zoning on a parcel of land it owns near Route 30 and Pennsylvania Avenue in Manchester Township, York County. Township officials rezoned the property in 2021 for industrial development. But after fierce public outcry and a challenge from the owner […]

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Developer weighs new project in Lancaster area

High Real Estate Group LLC is taking the first step toward building a mixed-use development next to the suburban headquarters of Armstrong World Industries in Manor Township, Lancaster County. High has struck an agreement with Armstrong World to buy 476 acres south and west of the manufacturer’s campus, which sits off Columbia Avenue west of Lancaster city. Terms of […]

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October sale sought for beleaguered Harrisburg apartments

The bankrupt owners of an uptown Harrisburg apartment complex want to hire a firm that specializes in real estate liquidation to sell the property in an auction. In a motion filed in bankruptcy court, apartment owners Uptown Partners LP are seeking court approval to hire Hilco Real Estate LLC to oversee a sale of the complex, known as Governor’s Square. […]

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Agency mulls deal for shuttered factory

A subsidiary of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corp. is exploring an acquisition of a recently shuttered Carlisle factory. The subsidiary, called the Real Estate Collaborative LLC, has signed a letter of intent to buy the plant formerly operated by The Frog, Switch & Manufacturing Co. at 600 E. High St. in the Cumberland County borough. But first, […]

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Rite Aid sells HQ to Philly-area developers

Philadelphia-area developers have purchased the former Rite Aid headquarters in Cumberland County and plan to redevelop the site. Affiliates of Jenkintown-based Goodman Properties and Malvern-based E. Kahn Development paid $4.735 million for the roughly 205,000 square-foot complex, according to county deed records. The developers are still working out their plans for the site, which is at 30 Hunter Lane in East […]

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