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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Gov. Shapiro: Senate Overwhelmingly Confirms Nominations For Departments Of Drug & Alcohol Programs, Labor & Industry

-- Senate Committee Meets June 26 To Consider Nomination Of Richard Negrin As DEP Secretary; Energy Information Office, Electric Billing Legislation  [PaEN]

-- Gov. Shapiro: All Cabinet Members, Senior Executive Staff Have Completed Mandatory Ethics Training

-- PA Senate/House

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Senators Boscola, Williams Join Andrew Yang’s New Forward Party

-- MCall:  Sen. Boscola Joins Forward Party, What Does It Mean For The Lehigh Democrat’s Future?

-- U.S. Senate/House

-- Post-Gazette: Abortion Already A Flashpoint In PA’s 2024 U.S. Senate Race

-- Post-Gazette: PA Republican Cong. Kelley, Reschenthaler Endorse Ex-President For Republican Presidential Nomination

-- Primary Election

-- Dept. Of State: Commonwealth Certifies Results Of 2023 Primary Election

-- November Election

-- City & State PA Guest Essay: Partisanship Has No Place In Pennsylvania’s Courts - By Superior Court Candidate Jill Beck

-- National Politics

-- PennLive - John Baer: Republican Race For President Could Get More Bizarre

-- Post-Gazette: PA Republican Cong. Kelley, Reschenthaler Endorse Ex-President For Republican Presidential Nomination

-- Election Reforms

-- PA Capital-Star: House Committee Hears Testimony On Changing State’s Closed Primary Election: ‘Why  Can’t Pennsylvania?’

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Some County Election Officials Wary Of Open Primary Logistics

-- PA Capital-Star: Push To Repeal PA’s Closed Primary Elections Up For Discussion (Again) In Harrisburg

-- Spotlight PA: Inexperience, Staff Turnover Led To Luzerne County’s 2022 Election Debacle, Investigation Finds

I-95 Collapse In Philadelphia

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Gov. Shapiro Reopens Damaged Section Of I-95 In Philadelphia

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro: Damaged Portion Of I-95 In Philadelphia Will Reopen With Temporary Lanes By The Weekend

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Pocono Raceway Jet Dryer Deployed To Philly For I-95 Work

-- Inquirer: I-95 Live Cam Is The Sleeper Hit Of The Season

-- Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- AP: Response To Fiery Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Frustrated By Poor Communication, Incomplete Information

-- AP: NTSB Hearing Focuses On Equipment That Failed In Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Post-Gazette: NTSB Hearings Offer New Details On Norfolk Southern Train Derailment; It’s Still Not Enough For Some Residents

-- PennLive: Ohio Village Affected By Norfolk Southern Train Derailment OKs Revitalization Plan

-- WESA/WCPN: Norfolk Southern To Spend More Than $25 Million To Renovate East Palestine OH City Park

-- AP: New PHMSA Rule Would Make All Railroads Alert First Responders Within 10 Miles Of Derailed Train Cargo 

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rig Count Up 1 To 23

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Extend Fall After Weeks Of Intense Volatility

-- Bloomberg: Drought Impact On Panama Canal Threatens Disruption In U.S. LNG Natural Gas Shipments 

-- Reuters: US LNG Natural Gas Export Project Approvals On Track For Record New Volumes

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Is Here To Stay For Decades, Says Shell, Chevron, China Buys LNG Into 2050s

-- AAA Average Gasoline Prices: Pennsylvania - $3.65, Nationally- $3.58

-- Reuters: U.S. Shale’s Muted Response To OPEC+ Oil Production Cuts To Limit Supply, Executive Says

-- Reuters: Crude Oil Prices Fall On China Growth Uncertainties

-- PA/Harrisburg Politics Potpourri

-- TribLive Editorial: Harrisburg Ethics Shouldn’t Be A Game Of Chance Or Skill

-- AP: Ex-Philadelphia Public Defender To Run For Democratic Nomination For Attorney General

-- PA Capital-Star: Who’s Running For PA Attorney General?

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

-- Scranton Times: Federal Prosecutor: No Vindictiveness In Prosecuting Lackawanna County Woman For Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol

-- WITF: WITF Focuses Election-Fraud Lie Accountability Policy On Lawmakers In Key Areas Involving Democracy

-- Budget 2023

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Partisan Fighting Has Returned To Harrisburg As Budget Talks Near A Deadline

-- PA Capital-Star: House Republicans Warn State Budget Could Be Late As They Push Back On Democrats’ Proposal

-- Spotlight PA: Gov. Shapiro Affirms Support For Funding Private School Vouchers Amid Budget Push

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Partisan Fighting Over Funding For University Of Pittsburgh Reveals Tensions In PA Budget Negotiations

-- AP: House Passes $15 Minimum Wage Bill

-- AP: House Passes Tax Credit For New Police Officers, Teachers, Nurses

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Tax Credits For PA Families Worth Billions Of Dollars Are On The Table This Budget Season

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports $479.3 Million In May Gaming Revenue, 7% Increase Over 2022

-- Independent Fiscal Office Official FY 2023-24 State Revenue Estimate

-- Health Care

-- The Center Square: Mental Health, Drug Addiction Fuel PA’s Crime Problems

-- Inquirer: Sen. Casey Worries Nursing Homes Are ‘Uninspected And Neglected’

-- Post-Gazette: Opioid Settlement Payouts Include Pennsylvania’s $2.2 Billion

-- Education

-- Inquirer: Commonwealth Court Judge Thwarts Effort By Republicans To Overturn PA’s Landmark Education Funding Lawsuit Decision

-- Spotlight PA: Gov. Shapiro Affirms Support For Funding Private School Vouchers Amid Budget Push

-- TribLive: Pitt, Penn State Branch Campuses Bleeding Enrollment; Decline Expected To Continue

-- Law Enforcement

-- AP: State Police Identify Trooper Killed, Wounded And Gunman In Central PA Shooting

-- TribLive: After 3 Weeks, Guilty Verdict On All Counts, Pittsburgh Synagogue Attack Trial Moves To Penalty Phase

-- Scranton Times: State Troopers, Toddler Shot; Legislators Shrug

-- The Center Square: Mental Health, Drug Addiction Fuel PA’s Crime Problems

-- The Economy

-- AP: House Passes $15 Minimum Wage Bill

-- Post-Gazette - Salena Zito: Finding Grace And Hope In West Virginia Coal Country, Where Others See Only Decay

-- Post-Gazette - Salena Zito: Finding An American Story At America’s Oldest Brewery - Yuengling In Schuylkill County

[Posted: June 25, 2023]