THE ISSUE
Today begins Sunshine Week, which highlights the fight for transparency in government and access to public information. Led by the News Leaders Association and organizations including the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, Sunshine Week aims to increase public awareness of open-meetings and open-records laws like Pennsylvaniaâs Right-to-Know Law and Sunshine Act.
The restrictions and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic didnât stop the work of journalists over the past year but did make it tougher.
Pandemic-related emergencies gave the Wolf administration, for instance, some cover for holding back information.
But journalists at LNP | LancasterOnline and The Caucus â an LNP Media Group watchdog publication focusing on state government â persisted in ensuring that taxpayers knew how government officials were acting and spending money on their behalf.
Briana Pearson for the plaintiff
LANCASTER - A Lancaster man sued his former family therapist for allegedly violating the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Therapist and Professional Counselors Act, according to documents filed on Feb. 24 in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas.
Plaintiff Derrick Watson divorced his wife in January 2017, when he and his 12-year-old child were ordered to reconciliation counseling with defendant Denise Darling.
Watson says that Darling completely ignored the ultimate goal of the therapy, which was to reunify the father with his child.
According to the suit, Watson requested some bonding time with his child during a session, and following that Darling texted the plaintiff to terminate her services with him by canceling the next day s session, saying she will not be seeing [Watson] again for therapy and telling the plaintiff not to contact her again.
Foulkrod | Cipriani & Werner
LANCASTER – Lancaster medical professionals and entities have denied allegations from a local couple who asserted that the defendants failed to diagnose their child as having contracted bacterial meningitis.
Elizabeth Djaraher and Richard Djaraher (in their own right and as parents and natural guardians of C.D., a minor) filed suit in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas on Jan. 7 versus Dr. Christopher H. Fox, Lancaster Emergency Associates, Ltd. (doing business as “Lancaster Emergency Associates”) and The Lancaster General Hospital. All parties are of Lancaster.
“On Oct. 29, 2019, minor-plaintiff C.D., 10 years old, presented to the emergency department at Lancaster General Hospital with abrasions, a nasal fracture and a laceration due to a fall. His care was overseen by defendant Dr. Fox. At the same time and place, minor-plaintiff underwent CT scans of the head and face, he was given a prescription for a pr
Justo Smoker, the man already charged with kidnapping missing Amish teenager Linda Stoltzfoos last June, will be tried in Lancaster County Court for her death.
Smoker was held for court following a preliminary hearing Friday before a district judge at the county courthouse.
While the 18-year-old woman has not been found, prosecutors donât need a body to charge someone with homicide. Stoltzfoos disappeared June 21 while walking from church to her parentsâ Upper Leacock Township home.
In a preliminary hearing, prosecutors must present sufficient evidence that a crime was committed and that the defendant probably is responsible and, therefore, that a jury or judge should hear the case at the county court level.
Judge determines there s enough evidence to proceed with homicide charges against Justo Smoker, accused of abducting, killing Linda Stoltzfoos
Smoker, 34, is charged with criminal homicide related to the 18-year-old Amish woman s June 2020 disappearance. Here s what we know about the case so far. Author: Keith Schweigert (FOX43) Updated: 5:24 PM EST March 5, 2021
LANCASTER, Pa.
Note: The video is from Dec. 21, 2020
Update, 3:45 p.m.: Magisterial District Judge Denise Commins determined there is enough evidence to move forward with the homicide charge against Justo Smoker, according to FOX43 s Grace Griffaton, who was in attendance at Smoker s preliminary hearing Friday afternoon.
Smoker s defense attorney Chris Tallarico asked the judge to dismiss the murder charge against his client. He argued that there is no certainty Linda Stoltzfoos got into Smoker s car.