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Banking & Finance

Local bank aims for the stars

Mid Penn Bancorp is fielding a sports and entertainment division designed to cater to the financial needs of high-profile athletes and entertainers. The unit formalizes an area where Mid Penn already has been making inroads, said Jordan Space, the bank’s COO. Many celebrities have come to know and trust the Harrisburg-based bank through its annual celebrity golf […]

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Statewide venture fund makes first investments

Four months after taking the field, a statewide venture fund is taking its first shots. The so-called GO PA Fund has invested in two companies, a financial technology firm based in Swarthmore and an advertising tech company based in New York, albeit with roots and some operations in Philadelphia. The fintech company is LoanStar Technologies, which […]

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Fulton names new finance, risk chiefs

Fulton Financial has named an interim CFO following the resignation last week of Mark McCollom, who had been the bank’s finance chief since 2018. A regulatory filing and press release issued Friday did not disclose the reason for McCollom’s departure. Lancaster-based Fulton has named Beth Ann Chivinski as interim CFO while it conducts a formal search process to fill the […]

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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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Construction

Retirement community plans $27M building project

Senior-living provider Landis Homes plans to erect 35 villa-style residential units on the western edge of its campus in Manheim Township, Lancaster County.  The $27 million project reflects continuing demand for retirement living — 34 of the units have already been pre-sold — said Corey Hamilton, CFO for the nonprofit. The units, mostly two-bedrooms, will range in […]

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WellSpan breaks ground on first of three ‘mini hospitals’

As they broke ground yesterday on a new “mini hospital” in southern York County, WellSpan Health officials identified the next two locations for the small-format medical centers: the Carlisle area and northern York County. The regional health system is opening the three mini hospitals — in partnership with Texas-based specialty operator Emerus — to bring […]

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First Dauphin branch in the works for F&M Trust

The chief banking subsidiary of Chambersburg-based Franklin Financial Services has broken ground on a new branch at 4765 Linglestown Road in Lower Paxton Township. It will be F&M Trust‘s first free-standing, full-service branch in Dauphin County.  “It’s a natural progression of our growth and activity in the capital region, specifically Dauphin County,” F&M Trust president and CEO Tim […]

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West Shore distributor sells stake to PE firm

R.F. Fager Co., a West Shore distributor of plumbing, heating, roofing and other supplies, has a new partner. New York-based private equity firm Tenex Capital Management has made an undisclosed investment in the company. Efforts to reach R.F. Fager and Tenex were not successful, But in a statement to trade publication PE Hub, Tenex managing director Gabe Wood […]

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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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Engineering firm opens MD, western PA offices

A Harrisburg-area engineering firm has added two new offices, including its first-ever location in Maryland. HRG has opened offices in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and Hagerstown, Maryland, hoping to make greater inroads in both areas. The additions bring the firm, based in Swatara Township, Dauphin County, to a dozen offices, with 10 in Pennsylvania and one each […]

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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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Deal brings Gannett Fleming a bigger piece of Texas

Everything is bigger in Texas, including spending on roads, bridges, pipes and other infrastructure. “It’s the place to be in our world,” said Bob Scaer, CEO of engineering firm Gannett Fleming. “And you can’t penetrate that by hiring a person to start growing. The only way in is acquisition.” For Camp Hill-based Gannett Fleming, that acquisition […]

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Small housing group aims for bigger impact

About a dozen years ago, several members of East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church in Lancaster banded together to start a nonprofit focused on creating affordable housing, with a focus on people experiencing homelessness. Their first project was the purchase and conversion of a single-family home at 639 E. Chestnut St. Over the next decade, the […]

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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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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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Economy

entrepreneurship

Food

York-based community theater restructuring

Lyn Bergdoll, executive director of Creative York, will step up to lead The Belmont Theatre as the two nonprofit organizations enter into a managerial and administrative agreement to be run by Creative York. “We are excited about the opportunities this collaboration will have for both organizations,” shares Bergdoll. “Creative York artists have an opportunity to […]

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Bernadette Taylor

Fulton Financial Corp.

Bernadette Taylor is retiring June 5 as chief human resources officer of Lancaster-based Fulton Financial Corp. Taylor joined Fulton in 1994 as corporate training director and was promoted to leadership positions in human resources, becoming chief HR officer in 2015. She will be succeeded by Karen Grafje, currently director of total rewards and HR solutions. Fulton, […]

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Adams County mobile home community sold

Biglerville-based Ridge Rentals LLC paid just over $2.7 million for Calvary Heights, a 55-plus mobile-home community in Adams County, according to Lemoyne-based real estate firm RSR Realtors.  Curt Trogner of RSR represented the seller, Abbottstown-based Park Acquisition LLC.  A spokesperson for Ridge Rentals said the company plans no changes at Calvary Heights, which features 45 rental pads, as well […]

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Harrisburg nonprofit eyes merger

Harrisburg-based nonprofit Keystone Human Services is exploring a merger with Mikayla’s Voice, a smaller charity based in Allentown. The two organizations announced their intention to merge this month and said they expect to make a formal announcement this spring. A Keystone exec declined to comment prior to the announcement. Mikayla’s Voice works with schools to create programs […]

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With buyer in the wings, dairy biz files bankruptcy 

Harrisburg Dairies Inc., which reportedly ceased operations last fall after losing a key contract, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week and is in the process of selling its business. Indeed, the Harrisburg-based dairy processor and distributor has already entered into a sales agreement for its business and real estate, and the company hopes to […]

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United Concordia Dental

Jake Lewis has been named vice president, government programs and strategy, for Harrisburg-based dental insurer United Concordia Dental. In this new role, he will oversee the strategic direction and execution of the company’s government relations and contracting efforts. Lewis worked most recently as the acting deputy assistant administrator for acquisition and business services at the […]

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Lebanon County RV park sold as part of multisite deal

An RV park in northern Lebanon County has new owners.  Twin Grove RV Resort & Cottages in Union Township was scooped up by Nashville, Tennessee-based Streamside Parks. The price for the 105-acre destination was $5 million in cash and $9 million in “other consideration,” according to county deed records. A Streamside spokesperson declined to  comment on the financial […]

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Lancaster water services firms merge

A pair of companies providing water-related services have become one. HQ Water Solutions, a Lancaster-based company that sells water testing services and treatment systems to residential and commercial clients, has acquired PA Water & Energy Solutions, a similar company based in Manheim Township, Lancaster County. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1984 by […]

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Inventory error could ding earnings for grocery chain

In a regulatory filing, Weis Markets disclosed that it overstated some of its inventory and plans to restate its financials going back to 2022. As a result of the accounting miscue, the Sunbury-based grocery chain said investors could no longer rely on its financial reports covering fiscal years 2022, 2023, 2024 and the first three quarters of […]

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Bank sheds admin building in sale-leaseback deal

With fewer employees reporting the office, Lancaster-based Fulton Financial Corp. sold its administrative services building in East Petersburg and is leasing back a little less than half of the space. The building at 1695 State St. in the Lancaster County borough spans about 100,000 square feet, according to Fulton spokesperson Steve Trapnell. It houses a range […]

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McNees Wallace & Nurick

Dominique Hall has joined the Frederick, Maryland, office of Harrisburg-based McNees Wallace & Nurick as part of the law firm’s litigation group. Hall previously worked at a law firm Washington, D.C., where she focused on trial-level disputes for corporate and consumer protection cases. She has a law degree from Howard University School of Law and […]

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Pizza chain clears hurdle to opening in Lancaster area

Grotto Pizza is buying a liquor license for its new location at 1515 Lititz Pike in Manheim Township, Lancaster County, its first spot in Central Pennsylvania. The license — attached to a shuttered eatery in Lancaster city called Queen 6-Pak Restaurant — is currently in safekeeping, which allows a licensee to hold onto a license that is […]

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Settlement reached in lawsuit over work at hospital tower

Regional contractors have settled a lawsuit over allegedly defective concrete used during construction of a new hospital tower in York.  York-based Kinsley Construction initiated the lawsuit in York County court last spring, claiming that other contractors refused to pay the company after it provided concrete for the foundation of a surgical tower under construction at WellSpan York Hospital, the […]

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Caution greets tariff whiplash in wake of court ruling

As tariffs went up throughout 2025, sales went down for JLS Automation, a York County company that assembles automated packaging lines for the food industry. The company is expecting a rebound in 2026. But the comeback faces renewed uncertainty after a Supreme Court ruling Friday that struck down the bulk of President Donald Trump’s tariff regime.  […]

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Armstrong World Industries Inc.

Jessica Cicali has been named senior vice president, general counsel and secretary for Armstrong World Industries Inc. effective April 1. Cicali, who also will oversee Armstrong’s sustainability and government relations efforts, is succeeding Austin So. He is leaving the company in April after a four-year tenure. Cicali has more than two decades of legal and […]

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Government

$450M project taking shape on former state hospital grounds

The grounds of the former Harrisburg State Hospital are heading for a makeover. The Pennsylvania Department of General Services yesterday unveiled plans to build a $450 million laboratory complex on the 30-acre property, which has been mostly vacant since 2006. The project includes a new $325 million, 300,000 square-foot joint lab to be shared among […]

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In York speech, Trump pledges ‘pro-American overhaul’ to boost manufacturing

In a roughly 50-minute speech yesterday afternoon at a York factory, former President Donald Trump argued that, if elected for another term, he would usher in a U.S. manufacturing boom driven by higher tariffs, lower taxes, better trade deals and a reduction in energy costs. “Together, we will reclaim our nation’s destiny as the No. […]

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York-area manufacturer resolves harassment claims

York County manufacturer AMZ Manufacturing has struck a deal settling federal allegations that it failed to take adequate action after two women complained about sexual harassment at one of its plants. The charges, filed last year, alleged violations of Title VII, the federal law barring discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin or religion. According to the […]

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House OKs expansion to prevailing-wage law

A controversial effort to tweak Pennsylvania’s prevailing-wage law has cleared a key hurdle. The Democratic-controlled state House this week passed a bill containing the tweaks on a vote of 125 to 77, sending it to an uncertain future in the GOP-controlled Senate. What are the tweaks: The legislation, House Bill 2153, would apply prevailing wages […]

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Grant swells funding for $75M Codorus Greenway project

Federal funds are boosting plans to transform the banks of the Codorus Creek in York. The York County Economic Alliance has landed a $15 million infrastructure grant to help pay for the transformation plan, known as the Codorus Greenway project. “It’s certainly a big chunk, and it definitely helps propel the project,” said Kevin Schreiber, CEO of […]

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Health-equity proposal spurs questions from state lawmakers

Insurers could soon be facing a new requirement if they want to sell policies through Pennsylvania’s subsidized health insurance marketplace, known as Pennie. The operator of the marketplace is proposing a regulation that would require insurers to become accredited in health equity. The Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority argues that health equity is a “well-recognized […]

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Panel OKs rules for professional licensing of ex-convicts

A state review panel signed off June 20 on rules designed to make it easier for people with criminal records to earn professional licenses. The approval is one of the final steps needed before the rules take effect. The Department of State, which oversees professional licensing in Pennsylvania, first proposed the rules in 2022. They […]

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Revamp of Harrisburg’s former federal office building snags affordable-housing funds

A state agency is showering about $7.4 million on Central Pennsylvania developers and nonprofits aiming to alleviate the shortage of affordable housing and combat homelessness. The grants announced this month by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency range in size locally from less than $50,000 to an award of $500,000, which is being given to a construction company […]

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Accenture, a major state contractor, opens Harrisburg office

Accenture, which has landed some big-ticket state contracts, has opened an office in downtown Harrisburg at 20 N. Second St. The international professional services firm is leasing about 3,100 square feet on two floors of the building, which is also home to lobbying and communications firm Bravo Group. Accenture, which also has an office in Philadelphia, […]

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House panel OKs controversial swipe-fee legislation

In a party-line vote, a House panel approved legislation on June 12 to exempt Pennsylvania sales taxes from so-called swipe fees — the fees assessed to process transactions involving credit cards. Fourteen Democrats on the committee voted for the legislation, House Bill 2394, while 11 Republicans were opposed. The exemption would mean that on a $1 […]

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Banks, retailers spar over swipe-fee legislation

Pennsylvania banks and credit unions are pushing back on proposed state legislation that would exempt the sales-tax portion of retail purchases from so-called swipe or interchange fees — the fees charged by financial services companies for processing credit card payments. The fees are typically 1% to 3% of a transaction. Under the exemption, on a […]

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Panel to reconsider rules for licensing ex-convicts

State officials are taking another crack at finalizing proposed rules that would make it easier for Pennsylvania residents with criminal records to earn professional licenses in fields ranging from accounting and nursing to cosmetology and real estate.  The Department of State, which oversees professional licensure, issued a revised version of the rules this month after an earlier draft […]

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Proposed tweaks to prevailing wage spur debate

Contractors and some lawmakers are pushing back against efforts to change how Pennsylvania officials apply prevailing wage law, which sets a floor for wages on publicly funded construction projects. Their target is legislation before the state House and Senate that critics argue will drive up costs for public works. “It’s simply the wrong solution for […]

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Firms win fight over medical cannnabis recall

In a ruling handed down last week, a Pennsylvania court overturned an effort by health officials to recall hundreds of vaping products previously approved for use in the state’s medical marijuana program. The controversial recall, ordered in February 2022 by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, was tantamount to a regulation, according to the ruling in […]

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Tax proposal raises specter of combined reporting

In a regulatory proposal published this month, Pennsylvania tax collectors are offering up a revised definition of business income, a move that sounds innocuous on its face. But observers question whether the new definition would do more than just clarify which corporate profits are subject to state taxation. The proposed changes, the observers say, could […]

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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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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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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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Health Care

Court OK sought for bankruptcy sale of Harrisburg-area winery

The bankrupt owner of Spring Gate Winery in suburban Harrisburg is seeking court permission for a sale of the winery and some of its assets, including its beer and wine licenses. According to court filings this week, Schoffstall Farm LLC is asking for approval of a sale to Nitin Patel, who would pay $2.85 million for the winery. The […]

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Harrisburg apartment owner asks court to block alleged meddling in bankruptcy sale

The bankrupt property owner trying to sell Governor’s Square apartments in Harrisburg has complained in the past that the city of Harrisburg is thwarting its sales effort, and it’s now asking a bankruptcy judge to intervene. In a court filing last week, Maryland-based Uptown Partners LP asked a judge to order the city to “cease and desist from […]

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Federal charges prompt suspension of York County judge

York County Judge Steven Stambaugh has been suspended without pay in the wake of federal allegations that he orchestrated an unemployment fraud scheme at his York-based personal-injury law firm, Stambaugh Law PC. The suspension was handed down yesterday by the state’s court of judicial discipline following a motion from the state judicial conduct board, th “The […]

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Court docs disclose $2.8M offer for bankrupt winery

A potential deal is on the table for Spring Gate Winery in suburban Harrisburg. A buyer named Nitin Patel has offered $2.8 million for the winery, whose parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May, according to court records.  The offer sets a floor for other potential bidders in a bankruptcy auction slated to unfold this […]

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Developer appeals ruling that blocks York-area warehouse rezoning

Inch & Co. is appealing a York County court ruling that blocks the company from building a warehouse on land south of Route 30 in Manchester Township. The move continues a nearly two-year-old battle over the 52.7-acre site, which borders the Prospect Hill Cemetery. Some neighbors have opposed the warehouse plans since they became public, […]

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PA court rules in Covid-era insurance case

Insurers do not have to cover lost revenue for businesses that were forced to shut down during the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic. That’s according to a ruling handed down yesterday by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in a class-action lawsuit originally filed in Allegheny County court by a dental practice. The decision resolves conflicts between lower […]

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Lenders balk at bankrupt winery’s reorganization plan

The bankruptcy sale of Spring Gate Winery is facing some headwinds. In legal filings this month, two lenders came out against the reorganization plan filed by the Harrisburg-area winery’s parent company, Schoffstall Farm LLC. At issue is the distribution of the proceeds from a sale of the winery, should a buyer be found. One lender, Horizon Farm Credit, is objecting to […]

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Harrisburg seeks dismissal of apartment owner’s bankruptcy case  

The city of Harrisburg is asking a federal court to dismiss the bankruptcy case of Uptown Partners LP, the Maryland-based owner of the Governor’s Square apartment complex in uptown Harrisburg In a filing last month, the city argues that the deteriorating apartment complex is “unlikely” to find a buyer and that state court would be a […]

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Employment provision under scrutiny in PA

Noncompete clauses were the focus when federal regulators moved to outlaw most of them earlier this year. But there are other employment provisions that can have the same “functional effect” as noncompetes, according to the Federal Trade Commission. And one subtype of those provisions is coming under scrutiny in Pennsylvania. They are provisions that require […]

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Apartment owner claims Harrisburg hampering bankruptcy sale

Harrisburg officials are allegedly hindering the sale of a beleaguered apartment complex in the city’s uptown neighborhood, according to claims raised in federal bankruptcy court by the complex’s owner, Uptown Partners LP.  At issue is a list of roughly 600 crucial code violations at the affordable-housing complex, known as Governor’s Square City officials have not shared […]

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York County winery facing new orders to close

A York County winery overlooking the Susquehanna River is being forced to close for the second time this year following new rulings in a long-running legal dispute with neighbors who argue the winery violates restrictive covenants governing use of the property. Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery must cease operations by July 18, according to an order […]

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Harrisburg law firm hires first-ever finance chief

McNees, a regional law firm based in Harrisburg, has named Sara Reohr as its CFO, a new leadership role for the firm. A CPA by training, Reohr was previously a vice president and division controller for Select Medical, a Mechanicsburg-based rehab chain. At McNees, Reohr will oversee strategic financial initiatives. “As a growing and evolving firm, […]

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Court order allows winery to reopen amid land-use dispute

Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery is poised to reopen this weekend following a court order rescinding an earlier ruling that closed the 50-acre winery and event venue overlooking the Susquehanna River in Lower Windsor Township, York County. The winery shut down June 9 after it lost a six-year land-use battle with neighbors who claim the business violated restrictive […]

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Feds sue PHEAA over loan-servicing practices

In a lawsuit filed May 31, a federal consumer watchdog is alleging that the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency misled student borrowers into thinking they still owed money after their student loans were discharged through bankruptcy.  The crux of the lawsuit is a distinction between two types of student loans — those that can […]

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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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Manufacturing

Firms to pay $90M for overseas assets of Armstrong Flooring

After disclosing buyers for some of its operations in North America, Armstrong Flooring has unveiled deals to sell its remaining businesses. In a news release July 11, the company identified buyers for its operations in Australia and China. Who: The Australian assets — including a factory in Braeside, Victoria — are going to a group of companies identified […]

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Armstrong Flooring in $107M deal that preserves local operations

After two months in bankruptcy, Armstrong Flooring is on the verge of dealing its way out. The Lancaster-based manufacturer said yesterday it has agreed to sell its North American assets to a consortium that includes AHF Products, a former division of Armstrong Flooring. Mountville-based AHF and Boston-based Gordon Brothers have agreed to pay $107 million in cash and assume unspecified liabilities […]

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Following acquisitions, York-area firm forms holding company

The Conrad Co. is the name of a new holding company unveiled this year by Penn-Air & Hydraulics Corp., a growing manufacturing services company based in Springettsbury Township, York County. The holding company encompasses PennAir, a company acquired by PennAir in 2019 and three other companies acquired since then, according to Seth Bray, the CEO of PennAir and […]

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State lawsuit over PCBs advances

A state court has delivered a partial win for Pennsylvania in a year-old lawsuit seeking damages from ag giant Monsanto and related enitities over PCBs. An 84-page Commonwealth Court ruling on Dec. 30 swept aside six of Monsanto’s nine objections to the state lawsuit, paving the way for the next phase of litigation. Judges, however, did uphold two […]

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Marketing

Real Estate

Shippensburg-area plaza sells for $6.6M

A buyer with a growing portfolio of Pennsylvania shopping centers has added another one. A partnership led by Leo Ullman of New York-based retail developer Vastgood Properties paid $6.63 million at the end of April for Shippensburg Marketplace, according to Brad Rohrbaugh, executive vice president and retail director for York-based Bennett Williams Commercial. Rohrbaugh and […]

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Deal for Lanco tiny-homes startup changes shape

The potential buyers of a Lancaster County-based tiny-homes company are taking a new tack. Chase Packaging Corp., a New Jersey-based shell company, had been planning to take Tiny Estates LLC and two related entities public through a merger. The companies are led by CEO Abby Shank, a former KPMG auditor who started a tiny-home community outside Elizabethtown in 2018. But […]

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Harrisburg office complex sold to Philly-area firm

When Penn Center Harrisburg hit the market in summer 2022, the asking price for the three-building complex was $22 million.  The half-vacant property in the 2600 block of North Third Street ended up selling for $1.45 million late last month following the bankruptcy of its owner, Penn Center Harrisburg LP.  The buyer is an affiliate of Pennmark, […]

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Nonprofit shedding senior-living operations

A regional nonprofit is poised to spin off its senior-living operations to a larger peer based in Missouri. Topton-based Diakon, which has a finance and support center in Middletown, has agreed to merge its senior-living subsidiary into St. Louis-based Lutheran Senior Services.  Terms of the transaction, expected to close this summer, were not disclosed. “This was a […]

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Court extends time for bankruptcy sale of Harrisburg apartments

A court hearing on the bankruptcy sale of Governor’s Square apartment complex in uptown Harrisburg had been scheduled for Feb. 29. However, it has been moved to April 2 per an order from Chief Bankruptcy Judge Henry Van Eck of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Why is this happening: The […]

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Feds object to bankruptcy sale of Harrisburg apartments

Federal housing officials are objecting to the proposed sale of Governor’s Square, a beleaguered Harrisburg apartment complex whose owner declared bankruptcy last year In a court filing this week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development argues there are not enough guarantees that the potential deal will preserve the complex’s status as affordable housing. […]

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Deal could take Lanco tiny-home firms public

A tiny-home startup in Lancaster County is poised for the big time. A publicly traded shell company has agreed to buy Tiny Estates LLC and two related companies, Endeavor Tiny Homes LLC and Tiny Communities Fund LLC.  The companies are led by CEO Abby Shank, a former KPMG auditor-turned-entrepreneur who started a tiny-home community outside Elizabethtown in 2018. Shank, who went on to […]

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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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