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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- WHYY: PA To Begin Using Artificial Intelligence In Operations

-- WESA: Gov. Shapiro Announces Plan To Prioritize Agriculture In 2024

-- Gov. Shapiro, USDA Secretary Announce $26 Million Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant Program

-- Williamsport Sun Guest Essay: Green Energy Agendas And Political Cliffs - By Commonwealth Foundation  [Gov. Shapiro]

-- Budget 2024

-- AP: PA Democrats’ Education Funding Report Says PA Owes $5 Billion More To School Districts

--  Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: PA Needs To Spend $5.4 Billion To Close Gap Between Rich And Poor Schools, Report Advanced By Dems Says

-- WESA: State Commission Recommends Lawmakers Adopt A $5.4 Billion To Revamp PA’s Education System

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Commission On Education Funding Ends With Split Vote, Call For Spending $5.4 Billion More

-- Spotlight PA: PA’s Poorest School Districts Were Slated For Funding Boost; Went To School Construction Instead 

-- Inquirer: How Geography And Politics Play Into How PA Funds Its Schools

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Some PA Lawmakers Didn’t Take Pay During Budget Impasse, Bill Would Force All To Forgo Their Pay During Future Impasses

-- The Center Square: PA Health And Human Services Costs Increase By 63%

-- Independent Fiscal Office Report On Tax Credits, Economic Development Incentives

-- Post-Gazette/The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA Horse Racing Industry Gets $198 Million Annual Taxpayer Subsidy; $3.5 Billion Since 2004

-- PA House/Senate

-- Spotlight PA: School Funding, Permitting Top Of PA Legislature’s 2024 Agenda

-- PennLive - John Baer: Will PA’s Lawmakers Be Better In 2024 Or The Mediocre Same?

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Some PA Lawmakers Didn’t Take Pay During Budget Impasse, Bill Would Force All To Forgo Their Pay During Future Impasses

-- TribLive: Democratic Sen. Brewster Retiring At End Of 2024

-- PA Capital-Star: 2 Democrats Seeking PA Senate Seat After Brewster Announces Retirement

-- TribLive: Democratic Rep. Pisciottano Announces Run To Replace Brewster In PA Senate

-- TribLive/PennLive: Head Of PA House Freedom Caucus View For Open State Senate Seat In Central PA

-- TribLive Guest Essay: America’s Largest Full-Time Legislature Should Not Be Its Least Productive - By Rep. Rob Mercuri [Spoiler - PA Legislature]

-- US Senate/House

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican US Senate Candidate Raises $6.4 Million In Q4, Including $1 Million Of His Own Money

-- Post-Gazette: Republican US Senate Candidate Won’t Endorse Republican For President, But Will Support Nominee

-- PA Capital-Star: Casey Campaign Announces $3.6 Million Haul In 4th Quarter Fundraising

-- New Quinnipiac University Poll: Biden, Casey Lead In Presidential, US Senate Race

-- Inquirer: Progressives Say Fetterman Has Abandoned Them, But He Says He Hasn’t Changed

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: PA Democrats kick Off PA Primary Hoping To Defeat Republican Con. Scott Perry

-- TribLive: PA Democratic Con. Deluzio First Democrat Calling For Resignation Of Defense Secretary

-- 2024 Elections

-- TribLive Editorial: PA Will Be Flooded With Campaign Cash In 2024

-- TribLive: Democratic Sen. Brewster Retiring At End Of 2024

-- NYT: Democrats Set Ambitious Spending Plan For State Legislative Races [PA Included]

-- New Quinnipiac University Poll: Biden, Casey Lead In Presidential, US Senate Race

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: PA Democrats kick Off PA Primary Hoping To Defeat Republican Con. Scott Perry

-- PennLive Guest Essay: There’s Hope For The Coming Election Season - By Mark Singel

-- Election Reforms

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: PA Republicans Should Thank Shapiro For Voter Registration Expansion

-- WITF: To Boost PA’s Election Power, Lawmaker Hopes To Change 2028 Primary Date

-- National Politics

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro ‘Fully Expects’ 2024 Election To Be Between Ex-President, Biden

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Why Republicans Lose In Pennsylvania: They Make Bad Choices 

-- AP: Biden Stops By Lehigh Valley Stores To Talk Up His Record On Small Business Creation

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- Inquirer: Berks County Man Arrested For Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol

-- PennLive: Berks County Man Has No Regrets Participating In Assault On US Capitol: Federal Prosecutors

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Why Republicans Lose In Pennsylvania: They Make Bad Choices 

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- Politics PA, Broad+Liberty Announce New Strategic Partnership For 2024

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices:  PA- $3.33  National- $3.07  Ohio- $2.83

-- TribLive: National Gasoline Price Falls To Near $3, A Few Pittsburgh-area Stations Are Already There  [AAA PA Average Gasoline Price- $3.36

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Chesapeake Energy Buys Southwestern Leapfrogging EQT As Biggest Gas Producer In US 

-- PJM Interconnection: Winter Weather Forces Natural Gas Pipeline Fuel Restrictions, ‘Conservative Operations’ Declared To Assure Electric Grid Reliability Through Jan. 17  [PaEN]

-- Reuters: US Power, Natural Gas Prices Soar As Extreme Freeze Hits Natural Gas Supplies [Again]

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Same As Last Week - 19

-- Inside Climate News: Plan For Shale Gas Drilling Spree Using Fluid Carbon Dioxide Instead Of Water In New York’s Southern Tier Draws Muted Response From Regulators, But Outrage From Green Groups

-- Inside Climate News: American Petroleum Institute Plans Election Year Blitz In Face of Climate Policy Pressure

-- Reuters: US Oil And Gas Production Growth Starts To Decelerate In Response To Lower Prices

-- Reuters: PJM Interconnection Asks Talen Energy To Postpone Retirements Of Oil, Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants In Maryland Due To Grid Reliability Concerns

-- Utility Dive: PJM Interconnection Triples Annual Electric Grid Load Growth To 2.4% Driven By Data Centers, Electrification

-- Financial Times: Resurgent US Electricity Demand Sparks Power Grid Warnings

-- Bloomberg: Spot Natural Gas Prices Jump Over 400% Ahead Of Texas Cold Blast

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Rebound Amid Escalating Violence In Middle East

-- Financial Times: Oil Tanker Seized By ‘Unauthorized Persons’ Near Gulf Of Oman And Diverted Towards Iran

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: EQT Natural Gas Company Reaches LNG Deal In Texas

-- Bloomberg: Huge Wave Of LNG Investment May Delay Global Energy Transition

-- Bloomberg: Wave Of New LNG Natural Gas Plants Will Keep World Hooked On Fossil Fuel

-- WSJ: America’s Gas Bonanza Brings Biden New Political Dilemmas

-- Oil & Gas Impacts

-- DEP Issued At Least 512 Violations To 95 Conventional Oil & Gas Operators For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them In 2023; 10 Shale Gas Operators Were Issued NOVs For Abandoning Wells  [PaEN]

-- DEP Issues Record 6,860 Notices Of Violation To Conventional Oil & Gas Operators In 2023-- Nearly 52% More Than In 2021; ‘Culture Of Non-Compliance’ Continues  [PaEN]

-- 2023 Shale Gas Operator Compliance Report: 1,310 Violations; Explosions; Pad Fire, Evacuation; Uncontrolled Gas Venting; Frack-Outs; Polluting Water Supply; Spills; Pipeline Crashing Thru A Home; More  [PaEN]

-- PA Oil & Gas Weekly Compliance Dashboard - Jan. 4 to 12 - 9 More Abandoned Conventional Wells; Leaking Wastewater Tanks; Rager Mountain Gas Storage Area Cleanup Continues; Pipeline Land Slips  [PaEN] 

-- Gas Explosions

-- WTAE: Rustic Ridge Neighbor Honored For Heroic Acts After Natural Gas Explosion In Plum Boro, Allegheny County

-- TribLive Editorial: Rustic Ridge Carries On After Natural Gas Explosion In Plum Boro, Allegheny County 

-- Beaver County Times: Potential Gas Line Explosion In Monaca Home Injures Two People 

-- Education

-- AP: PA Democrats’ Education Funding Report Says PA Owes $5 Billion More To School Districts

--  Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: PA Needs To Spend $5.4 Billion To Close Gap Between Rich And Poor Schools, Report Advanced By Dems Says

-- WESA: State Commission Recommends Lawmakers Adopt A $5.4 Billion To Revamp PA’s Education System

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Commission On Education Funding Ends With Split Vote, Call For Spending $5.4 Billion More

-- Spotlight PA: PA’s Poorest School Districts Were Slated For Funding Boost; Went To School Construction Instead 

-- Inquirer: How Geography And Politics Play Into How PA Funds Its Schools

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Teachable Moment In Crestwood School Board Member’s Resignation Over Racist, Misogynist Social Media Posts In Luzerne County

-- Health Care

-- PA Insurance Dept. Extends Signup Deadline To Jan. 19 For Pennie Health Insurance

-- Beaver County Times: Growing Percentage Of PA Children Lack Health Coverage; Things Could Get Worse

-- PennLive: Face Mask Mandates Expand In PA, Elsewhere Amid Surge In Flu, COVID Cases

-- WESA: PA Respiratory Virus Activity Levels Go From Low To High In Less Than A Month

-- PennLive: COVID In PA By The Grim Numbers: Report Details Death Rates, Medical Impacts

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: New Report Gives Final Pandemic Stats For PA

-- Beaver County Times: COVID Walloped PA Hospitals With Added Costs, Staffing Needs, Here Are The Numbers

-- The Center Square: PA Health And Human Services Costs Increase By 63%

-- Post-Gazette: Report Finds Western PA Has Too Many Hospital Beds

-- Inquirer Editorial: Philadelphia’s Measles Outbreak Reminder Of The Importance Of Vaccines

-- Inquirer: Beverage Sales Went Down In Cities That Enacted Soda Taxes, Philly Saw Biggest Change

-- Law Enforcement

-- PA Attorney General Launches Statewide Human Trafficking Section

-- AP: Philly DA Sues To Stop Law Designed To Limit Authority On Transit System Crimes

-- PA Capital-Star: IRS Seizes $400,000 From Fmr PA ‘Skill’ Gambling Game Executive’s Cash, Accounts As Part Of Tax Investigation

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Warren County DA Says Office Doesn’t ‘Pursue’ Marijuana Cases

-- Spotlight PA: New PA Law Aims To Make Guardianship A Last Resort In PA, But Some Experts Say It Doesn’t Go Far Enough

-- The Economy

-- Post-Gazette: Review Of Nippon Steel’s Purchase Of US Steel Expected To Last A Year Or More

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Exodus Of Population From Progressive States An Opportunity For Pennsylvania

-- PA Capital-Star: Pittsburgh Tax On Visiting Pro Athletes Is Unconstitutional, Commonwealth Court Finds

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh-Built Astrobotic Moon Lander Launches; Set To Reach Moon In February

-- AP: Moon Landing Attempt By Pittsburgh-Based Astrobotic Technology Appears Doomed After Critical Fuel Leak

-- TribLive: Failing To Reach The Moon Isn’t A Total Failure For Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic

[Posted: January 14, 2024]