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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Spotlight PA: Shapiro Won’t Share Daily Calendar, A Departure From Previous Governors

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Open Opioid Meetings, Reveal Gov. Shapiro’s Calendar

-- PennLive: Shapiro Appoints Veteran State Official Commonwealth’s Chief Diversity Officer

-- PA Senate/House

-- TribLive Guest Essay: An Opportunity To Address Gun Violence - By Lt. Gov. Davis

-- U.S. Senate/House

-- City & State PA: Potential Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Dave McCormick: ‘America Need To Go To The Gym’

-- Election Reforms

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA Election Advisory Board Agnostic On Voter ID

-- Politics PA: Republican Senators Coleman, Dush Propose Option For Voters To Change Mind On Mail-In Votes

-- Spotlight PA: 18 PA Candidates Who Spread Election Misinformation Are Poised To Oversee Local Voting In 2024

-- November General Election

-- City & State PA: 7 Things To Watch For Leading Up To The PA General Election

-- Post-Gazette: PA Democrats Came To Pittsburgh To Rally Their Troops For General Election, 2024

-- Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: These High School Students Are Grappling With Living With The Chemical Pollution From The Shell Petrochemical Plant And The Norfolk Southern Train Derailment 

-- TribLive: Westmoreland Officials Talk Train Derailment  Contingency Plans With Expert 

-- Environmental Health Project, HealthFirstPA May 31 Webinar On Pollution And Children’s Health - Norfolk Southern Train Derailment And Beyond, Noon 

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Ohio Residents Near Norfolk Southern Derailment Can’t Return To Homes They Fear Are Poisoned, And It’s Taking A Toll: ‘Depression Is Through The Roof’

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports PA Natural Gas Production Peaked In 4th Quarter 2021 [PaEN] 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rig Count Same As Last Week - 24

-- PJM Interconnection Issues Hot Weather Alert For Entire Footprint For June 2  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive: PJM, PSEG, Other Electric Generators Urge FERC To Reject Natural Gas-Fired, Other Generator Pleas To Drop Winter Storm Elliott Nonperformance Penalties 

-- EnergyWire: FERC Aims To Fix The Grid’s Renewable Energy Project Connection Backlog - Can It?

-- AG Henry, Office Of Consumer Advocate Urge Pennsylvanians To Shop For Electricity, Natural Gas Suppliers; Be Aware Of Door-To-Door Solicitation 

-- TribLive: West Penn, Duquesne Light Electric Rates Increasing For Customers Who Do Not Shop For Their Electric This Week

-- Altoona Mirror: Penelec Announces Rate Increase [For Those Who Do Not Shop For Electricity]

-- Inquirer: PGW, PECO Gas Customers To See Lower Bills Soon

-- TribLive Editorial: Increased Electric Bills Are Power Struggle

-- York Daily Record: Homer City On The Brink, As Coal-Fired Power Plant Shuts; What’s The Impact For The State?  [Could Not Compete With Natural Gas]

-- Observer-Reporter: Hatfield Coal-Fired Power Plant Demolition To Continue Next Week  [Could Not Compete With Natural Gas]

-- TribLive: Cheswick Coal-Fired Power Plant Smokestacks Imploded Taking Down Power Lines, Damaging Homes  [Could Not Compete With Natural Gas]

-- TribLive: National Average Gasoline Price Expected To Stay Under $4 This Summer, Analyst Says

-- AAA Average Gasoline Prices: Pennsylvania $3.69, National $3.57

-- Reuters: Oil Up Over 2% After US Debt Deal, Jobs Data: Focus Turns To OPEC+

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Price Drops Again To Lowest Levels In Over 2 Years, Solar Energy Power Hits Record 

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Price Plunge Brings Relief To Europe After Energy Panic; Some Traders Predict Short-Term Prices Could Even Go Negative At Times This Summer  [Updated]

-- Bloomberg: European Price Of Natural Gas Slips As Sluggish Chinese Data Damps LNG Demand

-- PA/Harrisburg Politics Potpourri

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: Progressives Make Gains In PA’s Biggest Counties Despite Establishment Democrats

-- WESA: Eugene DePasquale Launches Bid In Crucial 2024 Attorney General Race

-- City & State PA: A Q&A With Republican Christine Todd Whitman - Not Left, Not Right - Forward

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

-- WITF/AP: McKean County Restaurant Owner Gets 2 Years In Prison For Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol, Threatening U.S. House Speaker Pelosi

-- MCall: Lehigh Valley Man Convicted Of Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol

-- Observer-Reporter: Former Washington County Couple Plead Guilty To Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol 

-- Federal Budget

-- AP: Hard-Right Conservatives Oppose Federal Debt Limit Compromise Led By PA Republican Cong. Perry; May Try To Oust Republican Speaker McCarthy 

-- Politics PA: Republican PA Cong. Perry, Freedom Caucus Announce Opposition To Federal Debt Ceiling Bill

-- PennLive - John Baer: Open Letter To Washington ‘Leaders’ On That Federal Debt Ceiling Thing

-- Budget 2023

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports May Tax Collections $46.1 Million Below Its Estimates; Year-To-Date Revenues $1.2 Billion Above Estimates

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports May State Revenue $84.9 Million Below IFO Estimates; Year-To-Date Up $2.45 Billion Above Estimates

-- Post-Gazette/Capitolwire.com: State Treasurer - PA Had $437 Million Investment Income, Treasurer Says Stash It Away

-- The Center Square: New Budget Plan Saves ‘For A Rainy Day’ In Pennsylvania

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA: Secret Meetings By Board Overseeing PA’s $1 Billion In Opioid Settlements Draw Criticism

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Open Opioid Meetings, Reveal Gov. Shapiro’s Calendar

-- Education

-- AP: Teachers Leaving Their Jobs At An Accelerating Rate In PA, New Study Finds

-- Scranton Times: Across NE PA, 3rd Graders Struggle, Grow After COVID Hampered Their Learning

-- PennLive/TNS: Conservative Legal Group Suing PA Over New Standard To Train Teachers To Be ‘Culturally Relevant’

-- Law Enforcement

-- WESA: Eugene DePasquale Launches Bid In Crucial 2024 Attorney General Race

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Trial Week 1

-- TribLive Guest Essay: An Opportunity To Address Gun Violence - By Lt. Gov. Davis

-- Post-Gazette: The Future Of Pittsburgh Is In Combating Hate Through Solidarity And Peace

-- TribLive Editorial: With Synagogue Trial Unfolding, Courts Need To Reevaluate Ban On Cameras In Courtroom

-- The Economy

-- The Economist: Global Fertility Has Collapsed, With Profound Economic Consequences

[Posted: June 4, 2023]