Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- MCall - Paul Muschick: Gov. Shapiro’s Plan To Make Govt. More Accountable Is A Model For Others

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: A Bureaucratic Reform Could Transform PA Government

-- Spotlight PA: Tracking Gov. Shapiro’s Biggest Campaign Promises

-- PA Senate/House Transition

-- City & State PA: House Speaker Says House Will Vote On Rules, Reforms Feb. 21

-- WITF: House Speaker Pledges To Ready House Rules By Month’s End

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Democrats Take Back PA House, But Leadership Drama Set To Begin Anew

-- Inquirer: Democrats Officially Control The PA House, Now Will They Be Able To Govern?

-- AP: Democrats Won PA House, But Bipartisan Gap Remains

-- The Center Square: Democrats Cement Majority In PA House, Now What?

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Harrisburg Is Broken, The PA House Has A Chance To Fix It

-- TribLive Editorial: PA House Needs To Get To Work

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Republicans Take Away Rep. Mehaffie’s Capitol Office As Punishment For His Role As Caucus Maverick

-- U.S. Senate/House

-- TribLive/AP: Fetterman Hospitalized After Feeling Lightheaded

-- Post-Gazette: Fetterman Discharged From Hospital; Tests Rule Out Stroke, Seizures

-- NYT: Fetterman, Recovering After Stroke, Labors To Adjust To Life In The Senate, Coping With Lasting Effects

-- AP: NY Cong. Santos Had 2017 PA Theft Charge Expunged

-- Special Elections

-- AP: Democrats Win Control Of PA House With Special Election Victories

-- PA Capital-Star: Democrats Secure House Majority With Victories In Allegheny County Special Elections

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Democrats Sweep Special Elections, Affirming First PA House Majority In 12 Years

-- Politics PA: Democrats Sweep Special Election, Move Into Majority In PA House For First Time Since 2010

-- November Election

-- PA Capital-Star: At Nearly $14 Million, Lehigh Valley Congressional Race Was PA’s Priciest

-- Election Reform/2020 Election Fallout

-- AP: Commonwealth Court Won’t Force State Agency To Release Election Records Wanted By Senate Republicans

-- NPR: Pennsylvania Voting Officials Are Still Fighting Election Deniers

-- Inquirer: New PA Supreme Court Opinion Opens Door For Patchwork Of County Policies On Wrongly Dated Ballots

-- WHYY: PA State Govt. Commission: PA Should Have Longer Voter Registration Period, Optional Mail-In Ballot Secrecy Envelopes

-- PA’s Role In Assault On U.S. Capitol

-- Inquirer: Montgomery County Man Pleads Guilty To Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol

-- UnionProgress.com: Allegheny County Woman Avoids Prison For Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol, Marine Friend’s Case Pending

-- Salon.com: The Rise Of PA Republican Cong. Scott Perry: The Most Dangerous Insurrectionist You’ve Never Heard Of

-- State Constitutional Amendments

-- Spotlight PA: Complete Guide To More Than 70 Proposed Amendments To State Constitution

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- LancasterOnline: Shopping For Electricity, Natural Gas Can Reap Savings, But The Price For Forgetfulness Is High - ‘It’s Dog-Eat-Dog’

-- Wall Street Journal: Natural Gas: Fasten Your Seat Belts, The Buffers That Keep America’s Natural Gas Price Fluctuations At Bay Are Eroding  

-- Scranton Times: Gasoline Prices Up 20 Cents In NE PA In Past Month

-- TribLive: Drop In Oil Prices Brings First Weekly Decline In Gasoline Prices This Year  [PA Average $3.76 - In Dayton, Ohio $2.91 Monday]

-- U.S. EIA: U.S. Residential Heating Oil Prices Decline From Record-Highs In November

-- Reuters: Oil Prices Rise Over 2% On Russian Plan To Cut Output

-- WSJ: Russia To Cut Oil Production, Sending Prices Higher

-- PA Solar Center: USDA Offering Grants To Install Solar Energy To Reduce Skyrocketing Energy Bills For Businesses, Municipalities, Nonprofits - By Leo Kowalski, PA Solar Center  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: As More Utility Customers Struggle To Pay Their Bills, More Are Also Cut Off For Nonpayment  [Cost Increases Due To Natural Gas Price Spikes]

-- PUC Approves 48.9% Increase In Natural Gas Charges By Leatherstocking Gas Company In Susquehanna & Bradford Counties [The Heart Of Shale Gas Drilling In PA]  [PaEN]

-- U.S EIA Forecasts Natural Gas Prices Will Drop Nearly 50% In 2023

-- Reuters: 46% Drop In U.S. Natural Gas Prices This Year Threatening To Slow Drilling 

-- Reuters: U.S. Natural Gas Output Hit Record High In 2023, Demand To Fall, First Time Demand Would Fall For 2 Years In A Row - US. EIA 

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Shale Gas Companies Play ‘Dirty Pool’ By Reactivating Expired Leases By Claiming They Are Part Of Back-dated Pooling Declarations  [PaEN]

-- Reuters: U.S. Energy Regulators Questioned By Residents On Oversight Of Freeport, TX LNG Natural Gas Export Plant  

-- Bloomberg: Systemic Failures Led To Explosion That Shut Freeport, TX LNG Natural Gas Plant; Plant Still Needs Repairs 

-- Reuters: U.S. Regulators OK Freeport LNG Natural Gas Plant Request To Return To Ship Loading At Texas Plant

-- PA/Harrisburg Politics Potpourri

-- TribLive Editorial: Government And Media Need To Serve The People

-- City & State PA: House Speaker Says House Will Vote On Rules, Reforms Feb. 21

-- Scranton Times Editorial: House/Senate Republicans’ Dog, Pony Show On Impeaching Philly DA Already Costs Taxpayers $1 Million+

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Republicans Take Away Rep. Mehaffie’s Capitol Office As Punishment For His Role As Caucus Maverick

-- PennLive - John Baer: The State Of The Union v. The State Of Reality

-- City & State PA: Rep. Bullock Shares PA Legislative Black Caucus Priorities For 2023

-- York Daily Record Guest Essay: Where Is Pennsylvania’s Latino Vote Headed?

-- Budget 2023

-- Scranton Times Editorial: House/Senate Republicans’ Dog, Pony Show On Impeaching Philly DA Already Costs Taxpayers $1 Million+

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Shapiro, Lawmakers May Face Multi-Billion Dollar Budget Question After Major School Funding Ruling

-- PoliticsPA: The Coming Battle Over Public School Funding

-- COVID Pandemic/Health

-- PennLive: COVID Slows, But Remains A Top Killer In PA

-- Centre Daily Times: New COVID Cases Up In PA

-- School Districts/Higher Education

-- AP: Commonwealth Court: Poorer PA School Districts Win Legal Challenge To PA Public School Funding Formula 

-- PA Capital-Star: Commonwealth Court Declares K-12 Public School Funding System Unconstitutional

-- AP: Major Court Ruling On School Funding In PA Can’t Guarantee More Money

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Shapiro, Lawmakers May Face Multi-Billion Dollar Budget Question After Major School Funding Ruling

-- PoliticsPA: The Coming Battle Over Public School Funding

-- WESA: Pittsburgh Author Condemns Florida Ban On His Roberto Clemente Picture Book Because It Deals With Racism

-- Gun Violence/Law Enforcement

-- Scranton Times Editorial: House/Senate Republicans’ Dog, Pony Show On Impeaching Philly DA Already Costs Taxpayers $1 Million+

-- PA Economy

-- MCall - Paul Muschick: Gov. Shapiro’s Plan To Make Govt. More Accountable Is A Model For Others

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: A Bureaucratic Reform Could Transform PA Government

-- Williamsport Sun: Shop-Vac Shifting Manufacturing To China

[Posted: February 12, 2023]