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 Appointing New Members To PA’s Private Charter School Appeals Board

-- Scranton Times: Shapiro Defends Free Speech Rights Of Anti-Israel Protesters

-- Budget 2023

-- AP: PA Lawmakers OK Millions For Some Universities, Not Temple, Pitt, Penn State; But Feud Over Private, Public School Aid

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Penn State, Temple, Pitt, Lincoln Universities Secure State Funding With A Catch - More Financial Transparency

-- WITF/AP: Gov. Shapiro Signs Bill Expanding Public Funding Disclosure Requirements Over Penn State, Temple, Lincoln, Pitt

-- TribLive Editorial: More Financial Disclosure From Pitt, Penn State Is Progress

-- PA Capital-Star: Fight Over Tax Money For Private School Tuition Snags Education Funding Bill Again

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: As Partisan Tensions Thaw In Harrisburg, Lawmakers Eye Unfunded Housing, School Priorities

-- TribLive Editorial: Could Pension Increase Prompt New Pension Crisis In PA?

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Independent Fiscal Office - Silver Tsunami Threatens State Revenues

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports October Gambling Revenue Increased 7.3% Over Oct. 2022

-- PA House/Senate

-- PA Capital-Star: PA House Committee Advances Bill Changing How State Handles Pardons

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Senate Republican Leader Eyes Changes To How PA Government Handles Sexual Harassment Allegations

-- TribLive: PA Senate Committee Has ‘No Plans’ To Move Gun Safety Measures

-- WITF: CeaseFirePA, Democrat Lawmakers Call For Gun Safety Legislation

-- The Center Square: PA House OKs Jobless Benefits For Striking Workers

-- TribLive: House OKs Pension Boost For Government, Public School Retirees

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Editorial: It’s Time To Figure Out Marijuana In Pennsylvania

-- US Senate/House

-- Inquirer: Pay Attention To Competitive PA Congressional Races As 2024 Campaigns Heat Up

-- Politics PA: List 0f 2024 PA Congressional Candidates

-- PennLive: Republicans Against Republican Con. Scott Perry Launch Digital Ad Campaign

-- Post-Gazette: Democrats Question McCormick’s PA Ties In US Senate Campaign

-- TribLive Editorial: WV’s Manchin’s Decision Not To Run Could Mean More Political Ads In PA

-- November 7, 2023 Election

-- City & State PA: PA’s Election Audit Starts With A Roll Of The Dice

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Spending On PA Supreme Court Race Broke Records- $22 Million; Set Precedent For Outside Influence

-- MCall: Democrats Pull Off Decisive Victories Across PA And Lehigh Valley; Can They Do It Again In 2024?

-- LancasterOnline: Democrats Did Well In 2023, Experts Say That Means Little For 2024

-- PA Capital-Star: Crunching The Numbers: Comparing The PA Supreme Court Elections Of 2023 And 2021

-- TribLive: Innamorato’s Close Victory Showed The Complexities Of Allegheny County Part Politics

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Democrats Win Control Of Dauphin County Commissioners Board For First Time In 100 Years

-- 2024 Elections

-- Inquirer: PA Attorney General’s Race Getting Messier With A New Contender

-- City & State PA: Who’s Running For PA Attorney General?

-- Politics PA: List 0f 2024 PA Congressional Candidates

-- National Politics

-- Post-Gazette - Saleno Zito: The Enduring Importance Of The Gettysburg Address

-- PennLive Guest Essay: There Needs To Be Urgency To Defuse The Time Bomb That Is Ex-President - By Mark Singel

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- Inquirer: PA Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty Received Free Home Repairs Paid For By Brother’s Union, Witness Says At Trial

-- AP: PA Supreme Court Justice’s Name Surfaces In Brother’s Embezzlement Trial

-- PennLive - John Baer: Here’s What You Can Do If Politics Comes Up At The Thanksgiving Table

-- Warren Times: Rep. Rapp (R-Warren) Defends Indoor Smoking

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA Average- $3.60; National Average- $3.33; Ohio Average- $3.16

-- PUC Alert: Dec. 1 Utility Prices Are Changing - Natural Gas (+149% to -64.2%); Electric (+18.8% to -25.7%)  [PaEN] 

-- PA Capital-Star: Everything You Need To Know About Applying For Low-Income Home Energy Assistance

-- PUC Winter Natural Gas Reliability Overview Reports Now Available; But Do Not Address Winter Storm Elliot Issues  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Winter Storm Elliot’s Natural Gas Infrastructure Failures Not An Isolated Event; Report Says Electric Grid Still Vulnerable: ‘Winter Is Coming’ 

-- TribLive: International Natural Gas Commodities Market, Milder Weather Predictions Could Ease Winter Heating Costs

-- Utility Dive: FERC Projects Winter Wholesale Power Prices To Drop 5% In PJM, New York And Southeast

-- Utility Dive: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Investigating Possible Winter Storm Elliott Market Manipulation By Natural Gas Pipelines, Power Plants, Marketers

-- Baker Hughes: No Change In PA Natural Gas Drill Rigs Since Last Week- 19

-- Reuters: Tougher EU Methane Rules Mean US Natural Gas Sector Must Clean Up Its Act

-- Financial Times: New EU Rules On Methane Leaks To Hit Oil And Gas Importers

-- Reuters: EU Agrees To Law To Hit Fossil Fuel, LNG Natural Gas Imports With Methane Emissions Limits 

-- Bloomberg: EU Sets New Rules On LNG Natural Gas Imports - Production, Transportation

-- Financial Times: Oil Price Falls To Lowest Level Since July Ahead Of OPEC+ Meeting

-- Natural Gas Explosions

-- Post-Gazette: Plum Community Continues To Rebuild 3 Months After Natural Gas Explosion In Allegheny County

-- Train Derailments

-- Post-Gazette/AP: Ohio Business Owner Sues Norfolk Southern For Train Derailment That Closed His Companies

-- Education

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Ranks Near The Bottom In National Study Of Private Charter School Performance

-- The Center Square: Basic Ed Funding Hearings Wrap With Private Charter Schools

-- Inquirer: Shapiro Appointing New Members To PA’s Private Charter School Appeals Board

-- TribLive: House OKs Pension Boost For Government, Public School Retirees

-- WNEP: Saucon Valley School District To Pay $200,000 Settlement To After School Satan Club After Blocking Meetings On Campus

-- WITF: Berks County School District Sued Over Club That’s Trying To End Use Of Native American Mascot

-- WESA: Pine-Richland School District Wades Into PA Book Ban Debate

-- Courier Times: Only A Handful Of PA School Districts Have Policies Protecting Trans Students

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Penn State, Temple, Pitt, Lincoln Universities Secure State Funding With A Catch - More Financial Transparency

-- WITF/AP: Gov. Shapiro Signs Bill Expanding Public Funding Disclosure Requirements Over Penn State, Temple, Lincoln, Pitt

-- Post-Gazette: Hundreds Of Millions In State Money Meant For Pitt, Temple Not Distributed To The Schools

-- TribLive Editorial: More Financial Disclosure From Pitt, Penn State Is Progress

-- TribLive: New Report Sees College Freshman Enrollment Decline In Western PA

-- City & State PA: Penn, Lafayette Among Schools Under Federal Hate Probe

-- MCall: Lafayette College One Of 7 Schools Under Investigation Over Alleged Incidents Of Antisemitism, Islamophobia

-- Health Care

-- Post-Gazette: Trial Begins For Western PA Nursing Facilities And Workers Accused Of Sweeping Health Care Fraud

-- WHYY: Did PA’s Exposure Notification Apps Help Prevent The Spread Of COVID?

-- Law Enforcement

-- PA Capital-Star: PA House Committee Advances Bill Changing How State Handles Pardons

-- WITF: CeaseFirePA, Democrat Lawmakers Call For Gun Safety Legislation

-- Inquirer: PA Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty Received Free Home Repairs Paid For By Brother’s Union, Witness Says At Trial

-- AP: PA Supreme Court Justice’s Name Surfaces In Brother’s Embezzlement Trial

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Editorial: It’s Time To Figure Out Marijuana In Pennsylvania

-- WVIA: Lewisburg Residents Turn To ACLU To Protect Their Right To Privacy Against Local Social Gathering Ordinance

-- The Economy

-- Dept. Of Labor & Industry Reports October Unemployment Remains At 3.4% Record Low

-- The Center Square: PA House OKs Jobless Benefits For Striking Workers

-- WITF: Latino Entrepreneurship On Rise In PA For Many Reasons

-- WESA: Undocumented Immigrant Workers Continue To Push For The Right To Drive Legally In PA

[Posted: November 19, 2023]