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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Inquirer: Shapiro Says Republicans Won’t Appeal PA’s Landmark School Funding Ruling

-- PA Senate/House

-- Hearings Start March 21 For DCNR, DEP, Agriculture FY 2023-24 Budget Requests  [PaEN]

-- U.S. Senate/House

-- Inquirer: Dave McCormick Is Eyeing Another U.S. Senate Run In PA, New Book Published

-- WITF: Sen. Casey Has Faith Sen. Fetterman Can Keep Serving Pennsylvania

--  Erie Times: Republican Sen. Mastriano Dropped Hints On His Political Future, Can He Really Win A Statewide Race?

-- The Hill: Republican Fears Mastriano Redux As Party Zeroes In On McCormick In PA

-- May Primary Election

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: House Speaker Sets May 16 Special Election To Fill Rep. Zabel’s Seat

-- November 2022 Elections

-- Politics PA: How Accurate Were Polls On 2022 PA Races?

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

-- WPost: Investigation Into Assault On U.S. Capitol Is Only Half Done; 1,000 People Arrested For Their Alleged Roles; 1,200 More May Be Charged

-- State Constitutional Amendments

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

-- Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- WESA: Paradox Of East Palestine: Safe Test Results Come Back, While Residents Report Health Problems 

-- Moms Clean Air Force: Moms From Beaver County, SW PA Impacted By Ohio/PA Train Derailment To Attend House Hearing Today 

-- The Center Square: Federal, State Agencies To Hold Open House On Train Derailment In Beaver County March 16 

-- PA Dept. Of Health Acting Secretary Visits Workers, Residents At Train Derailment Health Resource Center In Beaver County

-- The Center Square: Support Remains As PA Closes Train Derailment Resources Health Center

-- UnionProgress.com: Clean Air Council Works To Provide Direct Relief To East Palestine, OH Residents

-- PA Capital-Star: Ohio/PA Train Derailment Was ‘H.G. Wells War Of The Worlds Stuff’ 

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: East Palestine Rail Disaster Could Happen Anywhere In PA - By Clean Air Council

-- WESA/Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: After Derailment, Many In East Palestine Live With Questions About Dioxins

-- The Center Square: Local PA Farmers Spearhead Soil Testing After Train Derailment

-- Post-Gazette - Salena Zito: After 2 Centuries, A Dairy Farm Family In Lawrence County Worries For The Future Across The State Line From Norfolk Southern Train Derailment 

-- Post-Gazette - Salena Zito: In Beaver County, Anxiety, Uncertainty Under The Black Cloud Of A Rail Disaster

-- WESA: Environmental Groups Push EPA, Not Norfolk Southern, To Lead Testing For Dioxins

-- WESA/ProPublica: Norfolk Southern Contractor Testing Air In East Palestine Homes

-- AP: EPA Tells States Not To Block Waste From Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- Grid: PA Congressional Staffer Sought Help From EPA’s Ohio/PA Train Derailment Hotline After Being Stonewalled By State Officials

-- TribLive/AP: Ohio Sues Norfolk Southern Over Toxic Train Derailment

-- TribLive: Norfolk Southern CEO: ‘I Understand My Responsibility’ In Ohio/PA Train Derailment Cleanup

-- TribLive Editorial: Will Norfolk Southern CEO’s Response Lead A Bad Taste?

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Create Federal Fund For Rail Crashes To Make Sure Communities, Emergency Responders Are Made Whole

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Guest Essay: Rail Remains Safest Way To Ship Materials, Despite The Train Derailment In Ohio - By Illinois Railroad Association

-- AP: Pro-Moscow Voices Tried To Steer Ohio Train Disaster Debate

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Why Your Electric/Natural Gas Utility Bill Has Gone Up And What You Can Do About It - By Patrick Cicero, Consumer Advocate Of PA, Terrance Fitzpatrick, Energy Assn. Of PA  [Natural Gas Prices Tripled]

-- Wall Street Journal: Why Natural Gas Bills Are Going Crazy, With No End In Sight

-- Utility Dive: Lower Natural Gas Prices In 2023 Will Lead To ‘Plunge’ In Peak Electricity Prices In Most U.S. Markets. According To Moody’s Investors Services

-- Reuters: U.S. Natural Gas Drops 7% To 3-Week Low On Milder Weather Forecasts

-- Marcellus Drilling News: New Fortress Energy Reapplying For Wyalusing LNG Natural Gas Plant Permits In Bradford County  [PaEN]

-- Reuters: Wave Of New LNG Natural Gas Export Plants Threatens To Knock Down Prices

-- U.S. DOT Misses Deadline To Suspend Rule Allowing Shipping LNG Natural Gas By Rail, Including A Proposal In PA  [PaEN]

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Up 2 From Last Week To 24 [Between 21 and 25 in 2023]

-- Environmental Groups Appeal DEP Permits For Transco Regional Energy Access Expansion Natural Gas Pipeline In Luzerne, Monroe Counties  [PaEN]

-- PennLive Guest Essay: We Need Common-Sense Energy Policies That Promote Pipelines, LNG Natural Gas Exports - Anthony Pugliese, Fmr FERC Chief Of Staff

-- TribLive: Gasoline Prices Edge Higher As Change To Summer Blends Underway Coast To Coast

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA Average - $3.62; National Average - $3.47

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Sheetz Drops Certain Gasoline Prices Until March 24

-- Financial Times: Oil Caught Up In Banking Fears As U.S. Crude Drops Below $70/Barrel

-- PA/Harrisburg Politics Potpourri

-- PennLive - John Baer: An Appreciation Of PA’s Odd, Quirky, Sometimes Stunning Politics

-- Scranton Times Editorial: PA Lawmakers Prove Bigger Isn’t Better

-- PennLive: Lt. Governor Davis Fires 2 Commutations Specialists Touted As ‘Success Stories’

-- PA Capital-Star: Do Allegheny County Democratic Endorsement Fees Deter Candidate Diversity?

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Republican Barletta Calls On Florida GovernorTo Run For President In 2024

-- Budget 2023

-- Hearings Start March 21 For DCNR, DEP, Agriculture FY 2023-24 Budget Requests  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican Rep. Grove Warns Shapiro’s Budget Proposal Will Lead To Massive Deficit

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: PA Budget Outlook May Make Future Tax Increases Unavoidable, Republican Rep. Grove Says

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Even Republicans Applauded Gov. Shapiro’s Budget, But Now The Hard Work Begins - By Mark Singel

-- The Center Square: Inflation Drag May Undermine Shapiro’s Budget Savings

-- Post-Gazette/Capitolwire.com - Robert Swift: Shapiro Outlines Plan For PA’s Federal Infrastructure Aid Spending

-- Inquirer: Shapiro Says Republicans Won’t Appeal PA’s Landmark School Funding Ruling

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports February Gaming Revenue Up 22% Over Feb. Of Last Year

-- COVID Pandemic/Health

-- MCall: 3 Years Of COVID In PA: 50,500 Deaths, 3.5 Million Infections, 9.4 Million Vaccinations

-- Post-Gazette: COVID 3 Years Later: What We’ve Learned, How Prepared We Are For The Future

-- Altoona Mirror Editorial: Still Too Early To Let Guard Down On COVID

-- Erie Times: Erie Hospitals See Mini-Surge In COVID Patients, Likely Due To New Variant

-- TribLive: Did Raccoon Dogs Start COVID Pandemic?  Western PA Experts Weigh In

-- PennLive: PA Warns Residents They May Lose Health Insurance, Highlight Options To Keep Coverage

-- School Districts/Higher Education

-- Inquirer: Shapiro Says Republicans Won’t Appeal PA’s Landmark School Funding Ruling

-- Other

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Among Top States For White Supremacist Propaganda In 2022

-- PA Capital-Star: Why Shocking New Data Shows We Can’t Stop Fighting Hate

[Posted: March 19, 2023]