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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: A Tear In Superman’s Cape [Shapiro]

-- PA Capital-Star Editorial Cartoon: For Gov. Shapiro, A Slightly More Difficult Bridge Repair

-- Budget 2023

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Bad Blood, Technicalities, Complicate Code Bills Keep The PA State Budget In Limbo

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: PA Budget’s State Of Play: Stuck In Overtime With No Immediate End In Sight

-- Inquirer: Winners And Losers In Gov. Shapiro’s First Budget Battle So Far

-- AP: PA Governor Calls On Divided Legislature To Finalize State Budget Past Deadline

-- Senate Has Not Signed And Sent To Governor House Bill 611 General Fund Budget

-- Senate Has Not Signed And Sent To Governor House Bill 1100 Expanding Property Tax, Rent Rebate For Seniors

-- Politics PA: Gov. Shapiro Calls On PA Senate To Return To Harrisburg To Finish State Budget; Says Senate Republicans Didn’t Close The Deal With House Democrats  

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: The Harrisburg Honeymoon Is Over For Gov. Shapiro In Private School Voucher Aftermath

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Private School Voucher Backtrack Another Calibrated Move By Shapiro - By Dennis Roddy

-- The Center Square: Bipartisanship Shatters After Shapiro Washes Hands Of Budget Compromise

-- WESA: Republicans Are Mad And Democrats Are Confused After Gov. Shapiro’s Private School Voucher Budget Gambit

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro: Senate Republicans Failed To Close Budget Deal With House Democrats On Private School Vouchers

-- City & State PA: Shapiro Urges PA Senate Republicans To Advance $45.5 Billion Budget Plan

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Gov. Shapiro Blames Republicans In PA Budget Standoff: ‘Senate Republicans Did Not Close The Deal’

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Shapiro, Senate Republicans Blame Each Other For State Budget That’s Only Half-Finished

-- House Passes $45.5 Billion State Budget Including Funding For More Staff At DEP; Shapiro To Veto Voucher Funding Wanted By Republicans; Bill Must Still Be Signed In Senate To Be Presented To The Governor  [PaEN]

-- Spotlight PA: After Shapiro Reverses Position On Private School Vouchers, PA House Passes State Budget, Senate Republicans Cry Foul

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy/Charles Thompson: PA’s $45.5 Billion Budget Gets House OK, But Could Have Long Wait To Get To Governor

-- Inquirer: PA House OKs A $45.5 Billion State Budget, As Gov. Shapiro Plans To Veto His Own School Voucher Proposal

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Lawmakers, Advocates React To State Budget Passage

-- Gov. Shapiro: Budget To Move Forward With Line-Item Veto Of New $100 Million Private School Voucher Program Since Senate/House Have Not Reached Agreement; But He Supports It And House Promised To Work On It

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Pennsylvania Makes Failure Budgetary Norm

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Collected $44.9 Billion In Taxes In 2022-23 Fiscal Year, Edging Projections

-- Dept. of Revenue Reports State Tax Collects for FY 2022-23 Were $1.3 Billion (3.1%) Above Its Estimates

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports June State Revenues $285.3 Million (8.4%) Above Its Estimates, $2.73 Billion Above Estimates For Fy 2022-23 Fiscal Year

-- PA Senate/House

-- AP: Private Cyber Charter Schools In PA Face Rule Changes Under A Democrat-Backed House Bill

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Another Pennsylvania Try For Bipartisan Marijuana Legalization

-- PennLive: Is PA Primed To Legalize Weed?  2 Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Allow Recreational Use

-- U.S. Senate/House

-- Post-Gazette: US Senate Candidate David McCormick Got $1 Million From Conservative PA Mega Donor Jeffrey Yass

-- AP: PA US Senator Bob Casey Lands His Best Fundraising Quarter In His Reelection Campaign

-- Post-Gazette: US Senator Bob Casey Is Breaking With Biden More Often As He Runs For Reelection

-- Post-Gazette: Fmr U.S. Senator Toomey’s Post-Senate Jobs Renewing Calls To Close Washington’s Revolving Door

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Put Brake On U.S. Senate Revolving Door

-- November Election

-- Post-Gazette: PA Voters Will Soon Pick People Who Will Run 2024 Election, A National Group Is Fighting Election Denial

-- National Politics

-- City & State PA: Q/A With Former Cong. Charlie Dent On State Of Republican Party, What Could Happen In 2024 

-- PA Capital-Star: Vulnerable Republican Members Of Congress Target Over Opposition To Student Debt Relief [PA’s Cong. Scott Perry]

-- PennLive - John Baer: Politics In PA And Nation Reflect New Poll Findings - We’re Still Deeply Divided

-- The Atlantic: The Woman Who Bought A Mountain In Pennsylvania For God

-- Politics PA: democracyFIRST Targets Election Denialists

-- AP: Ex-President Posted What He Said Was Obama’s Home Address, Prosecutors Say An Armed Man Was Soon Arrested There With 2 Firearms And Hundreds Of Rounds Of Ammunition

-- November 2020 Election

-- PennLive: Lycoming County Judge Rejects Request For Forensic Audit Of 2020 Election From Conservative Patriots Organization

-- Election Reforms

-- PennLive: With Lawsuit Dismissed, PA Republicans File Appeal With PA Supreme Court To Overturn Mail-In Voting Law

-- The Center Square: A Case For Primary Election Runoffs In Pennsylvania

-- Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Beaver County Times: Casey, Fetterman Cheer Proposed DOT/PHMSA Rule To Enhance Rail Hazmat Reporting

-- The Allegheny Front: Norfolk Southern Finishes Soil Remediation Under East Palestine Ohio Train Tracks

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: East Palestine Residents Cheer Ohio Governor’s Request For Disaster Declaration Covering Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, But Many Questions Remain

-- AP: Rail Union Says A Virginia Derailment Thursday Renews Questions About Norfolk Southern’s Safety Practices

-- AP: Railroad Industry Sues To Block Minimum Crew Sizes Ohio Imposed After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- WFMJ: Norfolk Southern Lawsuit Against Chemical Shippers Alleges Negligence And Oversight In Ohio/PA Train Derailment

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Average Gasoline Prices: Pennsylvania - $3.63; National - $3.53

-- Reuters: Oil Prices Up 3% To 9-Week High On Supply Concerns

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Same As Last Week - 23

-- Bloomberg: European Union’s Natural Gas Buyer’s Club Fills Nearly 80% Of Storage Without Extreme Price Spikes

-- Reuters: Column: Europe’s Natural Gas Storage Is Filling Too Fast

-- Bloomberg: Petroleos Mexicanos Natural Gas Platform Explodes In Gulf Of Mexico, 2 Dead, Workers Missing; Company Faced Scrutiny Over Safety, Environmental Record

-- Bloomberg: Petroleos Mexicanos Said Platform Explosion Impacted One-Third Of Oil Output, 11% Of Natural Gas Production

-- Reuters: Exxon Signals Sharp Profit Drop, Cites Low Natural Gas Prices, Refining Margins

-- Reuters: Shell Warns Of Significant Drop In Natural Gas Trading Results

-- PA/Harrisburg Politics Potpourri

-- PennLive - John Baer: Politics In PA And Nation Reflect New Poll Findings - We’re Still Deeply Divided

-- PennLive Guest Essay: It’s Worth Fighting For Truth And Standing Up To Bald-Faced Lies - By Mark Singel

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Republicans Should Prioritize Progress Over Posturing

-- City & State PA: Q/A With Former Cong. Charlie Dent On State Of Republican Party, What Could Happen In 2024 

-- AP: Private Cyber Charter Schools In PA Face Rule Changes Under A Democrat-Backed House Bill

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Another Pennsylvania Try For Bipartisan Marijuana Legalization

-- PennLive: Is PA Primed To Legalize Weed?  2 Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Allow Recreational Use

-- WPXI: Republican Lawmakers Say They Couldn’t Walk In Washington County 4th Of July Parade, Organizers Said It Wasn’t A Political Event, It Was A Parade

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

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Ex-CMU Student Gets Jail Time For Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol

-- PennLive: Centre County Man To Appear Before Federal Judge On Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol

-- Health Care

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: State Council To Control Health Care Costs Faces $1 Million Deficit

-- Education

-- AP: Private Cyber Charter Schools In PA Face Rule Changes Under A Democrat-Backed House Bill

-- PennLive: State-Related University Funding Bill Fails Yet Again As PA Budget Discord Continues In House

-- Post-Gazette: Rep. Mihalek, A University Of Pittsburgh Board Member, Voted Against Funding For University

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Holistic Campus Diversity Efforts Must Continue

-- Law Enforcement

-- WESA: PA Lacks Certain Gun Laws Despite Support, Survey Finds

-- TribLive: 4th Week Of Pittsburgh Synagogue Attack Trial Focused On Mental Health

-- AP: A List Of Mass Killings In The United States Since January

-- Attorney General Henry Charges 5 Jehovah’s Witness Members With Abuse Of Children Across PA

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Another Pennsylvania Try For Bipartisan Marijuana Legalization

-- PennLive: Is PA Primed To Legalize Weed?  2 Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Allow Recreational Use

-- Post-Gazette/Citizens Voice: Commonwealth Court Upholds Win For Skill Games Gambling Industry

-- The Economy

-- WITF: In Central PA, Most Black And Brown People Struggle To Make Ends Meet

-- The Center Square: Poll: Taxes, Cost Of Living Driving Away Young PA Residents

-- TribLive Editorial: Is Leaving PA The Way To Find Lower Taxes And Cost Of Living?

-- Post-Gazette/Citizens Voice: Commonwealth Court Upholds Win For Skill Games Gambling Industry

-- Other

-- Spotlight PA: Six Years After PA Legalized Fireworks, They’re Probably Here To Stay

-- TribLive: Public Menace Or Family Fun?  Fireworks In Pennsylvania

-- AP: Drag Queens Are Out, Proud And Loud In A String Of PA Coal Towns, From A Bingo Hall To Blue-Collar Bars

[Posted: July 9, 2023]