• Hershey’s Kisses set to become the official candy pf Pennsylvania: Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted to pass House Bill 1030, which would make Hershey’s Kisses the state candy for the Commonwealth. The bill will advance to the State Senate after a 150-53 vote in favor of the candy. The origin of the bill stated in a Bucks County social studies classroom as a project to learn about the legislative process. A group of young Pennsylvanians formed the, Hershey’s Kisses Committee, and researched Pa.’s confection history to draft a bill to establish Hershey’s Kisses as the first-in-the-nation state candy. The students are now high school seniors and continue to meet with legislators to advocate the bill. The candy was chosen because they are an iconic product first made in Central PA in 1907. (Source: Fox 43)
• New law restricting handheld phone use while driving implemented in Pa.: Launching June 5th, Pennsylvania drivers will have to put their phone down or face penalties. The new distracted driving law, Paul Miller’s law, will make it a primary offense to use a handheld device while driving. This allows police to pull you over just for having your phone in your hand. In the first year, violators will get a written warning, but starting in June 2026, fines will be issued. There are exceptions, including emergency use and drivers may still use hands-free options. (Source: CBS 21)
• Comprehensive election reforms approved by the House, omits voter ID requirement: Republican support for a voter ID bill dismantled before the full Pennsylvania House of Representatives had a chance to vote on it. Just a week before, the same bill passed out of a House committee with all 12 Republicans voting in support, alongside two Democrats. Republican Dave Zimmerman of East Earl expressed his concerned that the bill did not require photo ID. Instead, HB771 was a “nonstrict” voter ID bill that allowed a broad range of acceptable IDs and created an affidavit system that would authorize anyone to vote, even if they did not have ID on them. According to Democratic House Majority Leader, Mathew Bradford, D-Montgomery, Republican leaders in the House requested Democrats, who control the chamber, to not to bring the bill up for its scheduled vote Tuesday. Voter ID has minimal support from Democrats, but enough to pass certain versions of the bill with Republican support. Zimmerman and three other Republicans introduced stricter versions of voter ID bills that have not moved in the House. Two of those bills, including Zimmerman’s, would require constitutional amendments. (Source: LNP)
• Local company recalling yogurt parfaits sold nationwide: The Elizabethtown based company Knockro, is recalling Bonya Yogurt parfaits sold nationwide. According to the FDA the recall for the companies’ Bonya-branded yogurt parfait products is due to an undeclared almond. The granola component of the parfaits contains almond, which are not listed on the label and can be serious or life-threatening to people with an almond allergy. The recall was initiated after it was discovered that the packaging did not reveal the presence of the almonds. The FDA’s investigation revealed that a temporary breakdown in Knockro’s production and packaging processes caused the issue. (Source: ABC 27)
• Nation/world: Omaha’s first female mayor concedes to potential first Black mayor (Source: AP News) Sentence reduction for the Menendez brothers (Source: AP News) Trump’s impact on Supreme Court birthright citizenship case (Source: NBC News) UNICEF reports significant impact of COVID-19 on wellbeing of Western children (Source: UPI)
(Editor’s note: Headline roundups will conclude on May 27, 2025)
