READING, Aug. 4 – State Rep. Manny Guzman , D-Berks, today announced that a $251, 390 Green Light-Go grant was awarded to the City of Reading to support traffic signal modernization projects. The grant was awarded to: City of Reading - $251,390 to upgrade traffic signals at: Schuylkill Avenue & Buttonwood Street 9th Street & Walnut Street 3rd Street & Franklin Street “I’m pleased to announce that the City of Reading has been awarded $251,390 through Pennsylvania’s Green Light-Go Program to modernize traffic signals at Schuylkill Avenue & Buttonwood Street, 9th & Walnut streets, and 3rd & Franklin streets,” Guzman said. “As a member of the House Transportation Committee, I understand the importance of investing in projects that improve safety, reduce congestion, and strengthen our transportation infrastructure. These upgrades will help create safer and more efficient travel for residents, commuters, and visitors across Reading.” Read more

LANCASTER, Aug. 4 – State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, announced today that Green Light-Go grants totaling $945,186 were awarded to the city of Lancaster and the borough of Millersville to support traffic signal modernization. The city of Lancaster received $494,466 to modernize two signalized intersections in Lancaster—North Broad Street and East Chestnut Street, and North Broad Street and East Walnut Street. A separate award of $494,466 was provided for two additional signalized intersections in Lancaster, which are in state Rep. Nikki Rivera’s district. The borough of Millersville received $450,720 for traffic signal equipment upgrades across six intersections: Millersville Road / Manor Avenue / Millersville Pike Blue Rock Road / Manor Avenue / George Street / Shertzer Lane Millersville Road / Barbara Street / Oak Knoll Circle George Street & Frederick Street Manor Avenue / Herrs Market Driveway / Turkey Hill Driveway Manor Avenue & Leaman Avenue “These investments in transportation safety will create safer intersections, support better traffic flow and improve pedestrian safety and accessibility in our district,” Smith-Wade-El said. “This strategic use of state funding will help Lancaster and Millersville residents get around their communities more easily, whether it’s behind the wheel, on a bike or on foot.” The Greenlight-Go Program is a competitive state grant program designed Read more

LANCASTER, Aug. 4 – State Rep. Nikki Rivera, D-Lancaster, announced today that Lancaster received a Green Light-Go grant of $494,466 to modernize traffic signals at two key intersections to improve safety and increase traffic flow for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. The funding will support upgrades to the traffic signal systems at North Duke Street and East Walnut Street and New Holland Avenue and Franklin Street to modernize aging infrastructure, increase signal reliability and accommodate increased traffic. “I’m thrilled that the City of Lancaster is receiving state funding to make these necessary investments in transportation safety,” Rivera said. “This money will make Lancaster an easier and safer place to navigate for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians while extending the traffic signals’ lifespan and supporting the city’s growing transportation needs.” The Greenlight-Go Program is a competitive state grant program designed to improve the efficiency and operation of existing traffic signals in Pennsylvania and is administered by the state Transportation Department. Applicants are required to provide a 20% match. Funding may be used for traffic signal retiming; study and removal of unwarranted traffic-control signals; monitoring of traffic signal corridors; innovative technologies; installation, upgrade or maintenance of traffic signal communication systems; upgrade or installation of detection systems and Read more

WYOMISSING, Aug. 3 – State Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, D-Berks, will host a kick-off to the back-to-school season from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16 at her district office (1111 Penn Ave.). The event will include free backpacks with school supplies, free haircuts, school supplies for teachers, and an easy, accessible opportunity for members of the community to access state resources. “Access to a good education is crucial for our children to succeed, but the prospect of having to buy supplies can be daunting for many families,” Cepeda-Freytiz said. “This event will provide a great opportunity for children across our community to get the school supplies they need without the risk of financial burden.” The event is open to all families with school-aged children. The 129th Legislative District, which Cepeda-Freytiz represents, includes northwest Reading, parts of Spring Township, and the boroughs of Sinking Spring, West Reading and Wyomissing. Read more

HARRISBURG, July 24 – State Reps. Ismail Smith-Wade-El and Nikki Rivera, both D-Lancaster, praised the actions of the PA House of Representatives in passing legislation that would end mandatory life-without-parole sentences in cases of second-degree felony murder in Pennsylvania. In 2024, Derek Lee, a Black man serving life without parole for second-degree murder, challenged the constitutionality of his sentence before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He argued that since he did not kill or intend to kill anyone in a 2014 Pittsburgh robbery , his sentence is disproportionate and cruel under both the Pennsylvania and U.S. constitutions. This March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in Commonwealth v. Lee found that automatically imposing life without parole for all second-degree murder convictions violates the state constitution’s protections against cruel punishment because it does not consider individual responsibility or level of culpability. Currently only five states — Pennsylvania, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina — require mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole for second-degree felony murder convictions. The bill passed by the House (H.B. 1042) would require the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing to deliver guidelines to judges while still ensuring judges can examine the facts of each case. It also would allow certain incarcerated people who served more than 30 years of their sentence before Read more