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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- The Center Square: Republican State Budget Critic Says Don’t Compete With Ohio, ‘We’re In Competition With North Carolina, Florida, Texas’

-- DEP: No Applicants Have Asked For Their Money Back Yet Under The PAyback Permit Review Money Back Guarantee Program  [PaEN]

-- Budget 2024

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Budget Process Muddied By Clashing State Revenue Estimates As Hearings Begin

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: ‘Reasonable’ State Revenue Projections Versus ‘Plausible’ Ones

-- PennLive: Independent Fiscal Office Projects Bigger Budget Gap, Prompting Diverging Views From Lawmakers

-- The Center Square: Republican State Budget Critic Says Don’t Compete With Ohio, ‘We’re In Competition With North Carolina, Florida, Texas’

-- PennLive Guest Essay: We Have A Duty To Keep PA On A Solid Financial Path - Keep Rainy Day Fund Healthy - By State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Sen. Scott Martin, Rep. Seth Grove

-- City & State PA: Budget Hearings - UFOs, Weed, More From This Week’s Hearings

-- TribLive: Shapiro Budget Calls For Deep Cuts To Private Cyber School Funding, Public Schools In For Windfall

-- TribLive Editorial: The Fight Over Private Cyber Charter School Money

-- TribLive: State-Owned University Chancellor Faces Tough Questions On Budget

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: State-Owned University System Still In The Dark About Proposed Higher Ed Reform Plan

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Lawmakers Frustrated By Lack Of Details And A Lot Of ‘I Don’t Know’s’ On Higher Education Budget Proposal

-- Tribune-Democrat: Shapiro’s Medical Debt Relief For Patients Draws Concerns From Rural Hospital Administrators

-- Spotlight PA: What Shapiro’s Budget Pitch Could Do For PA’s Rural Communities

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: New Local Taxes Eyed For Mass Transit Financial Woes

-- ABC27: Senate, House Lawmakers Sitting On $298 Million Surplus In Their Accounts; Republican Rep. Dunbar Said It Was ‘A Little Excessive’

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports January Revenue Increased 2.7% Over Last Year

-- Post-Gazette: PA Casinos Set New Revenue Record In 2023

-- PA House/Senate

-- ABC27: Senate, House Lawmakers Sitting On $298 Million Surplus In Their Accounts; Republican Rep. Dunbar Said It Was ‘A Little Excessive’

-- WTAE: Republican Rep. Scialabba Introduces Bill To Ban Requiring Diversity Courses At PA Universities

-- US Senate/House

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Casey, Colleagues Introduce Bill To Attack ‘Greed-Flation,’ Crack Down On Price Gouging

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican US Senate Candidate Takes His Campaign To Conservative CPAC

-- AP: Republican, Democrat Candidates File Papers To Join PA US Senate Primary Races

-- PennLive: Fetterman Tells Nevada Dems Biden Is A ‘Tough [Expletive]’

-- AP: Republican US Senate Contenders Aren’t Shy About Wanting Ex-President’s Approval, But In Pennsylvania, It’s Awkward

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Republican Con. Meuser Should Defy Party Bosses And Help Save Ukraine

-- 2024 Elections

-- Inquirer: PA Election Officials Bracing For Another Round Of Lawsuits, Recount Requests, Claims Of Fraud In 2024 

-- PA Capital-Star/VoteBeat: Loss Of Experienced Election Officials Could Mean Trouble For PA’s 2024 Election

-- Warren Times: Republican Rep. Rapp, Zimmerman Take County, State Election Officials To Court Claiming Absentee Ballots Have To Be Returned To Individual Precincts

-- AP: Federal Appeals Court To Decide If PA Mail-In Ballots With Wrong Date Still Count

-- Post-Gazette: Allegheny County To Open Ballot Drop-Off Sites In Weeks Leading Up To PA’s April Primary

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Candidates Whose Nominating Petitions Have Been Challenged

-- MCall: Forged Signatures Found On Petition For Democratic Auditor General Candidate

-- WESA: Legal Challenge Seeks To Remove Democratic Opponent Of Cong. Summer Lee From Ballot

-- TribLive: Cong. Summer Lee Challenger Removed From Primary Ballot

-- AP: Republican, Democrat Candidates File Papers To Join PA US Senate Primary Races

-- AP: Republican US Senate Contenders Aren’t Shy About Wanting Ex-President’s Approval, But In Pennsylvania, It’s Awkward

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: State Senate Races To Watch As Democrats Seek The Majority

-- WTAJ: New Poll Has Ex-President Leading Biden; Biden’s Age A Larger Conceern Than Ex-President’s Conviction, Indictments

-- Election Reforms

-- AP: PA Supreme Court Throws Out Republican Lawmakers’ Subpoena In 2020 Presidential Election Case

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: PA Supreme Court-Squashed Republican Subpoena Allows PA To Move On, Finally, From 2020 Election

-- AP: PA Seeks Legal Costs From Fulton County That Let Outsiders Access Voting Machines To Help Ex-President

-- National Politics

-- The Center Square: Ex-President Has Outraised Biden Campaign In Pennsylvania

-- PennLive - John Baer: If Biden And Ex-President Love America, They Should End Their Presidential Campaigns

-- Inquirer: PA Is Nation’s Most Important Swing State, Here’s How Biden Or Ex-President Could Win It Again

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- Erie Times: Crawford County Man Indicted On Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol 

-- Inquirer: Philly Proud Boy Pleads Guilty To Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- Inquirer: Multi-Million Dollar Fight To Tax PA ‘Skill’ Gambling Games In Bars, Stores

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Equal Treatment For ‘Skill’ Gambling Games - Hold Them To Same Standard As Casinos - By Pennsylvanians Against Gaming Expansion

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA- $3.52,  National- $3.26, Ohio- $3.18

-- Warren Times: Gasoline Prices Spike In Warren, Region

-- TribLive: Gasoline Prices Expected To Continue Ticking Upward, Analyst Says

-- Bloomberg: US Natural Gas Prices Finally Find A Floor

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Increased 1 Last Week To 24

-- WSJ: American Oil Production Growth Might Be Near Its Peak; Declining Oil Prices Causing Producers To Drop Drilling Rigs 

-- PA Independent Oil & Gas Association: An Increase In LNG Gas Exports Is Expected To Increase Seasonal Price Volatility In The Future  

-- S&P Global: US Gas Producers Tout LNG Growth Outlook Despite Regulatory Uncertainty; [EQT - ‘There’s Really No Impact [from new facility permit pause] through at least the end of 2026’]

-- Reuters: US Gas Prices Soar 13% As Chesapeake Energy Cuts Output

-- Reuters: Chesapeake Energy Says Gas Market Oversupplied, Plans To Cut Output, Spending 

-- Reuters: Coterra Energy Forecasts Decline In Production After Missing Profit Estimates

-- Reuters: Tumbling US Gas Prices Prove Unstoppable, Hurting Producers, Benefiting Customers  

-- Reuters: US Oilfield Job Losses Could Swell As Natural Gas Prices Plunge

-- Reuters: Chesapeake Energy Gas Producer Tops Quarterly Estimates, Cuts Production Views 

-- Reuters: Slumping US Natural Gas Prices Cause Hedge Funds To Despair  

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices At Pre-Crisis Levels Seen Spurring Asian Demand

Oil & Gas Health Impacts

-- Penn State Study: Conventional Oil & Gas Wastewater Fails To Meet Beneficial Reuse Recommendations For Use As A Dust Suppressant  [PaEN]

-- Citizen Complaint Leads DEP To Breakout Of Mariner East Pipeline Drilling Mud That Contaminated The Lake At Marsh Creek State Park, Chester County; Sunoco Pipeline Starts Cleanup [PaEN] 

-- 2.23.24: Drone Video Of Mariner East Pipeline Spill Remediation In Marsh Creek Watershed, Chester County.  Updated Background

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: Marsh Creek State Park Once Again Site Of Cleanup Due To Mariner East Pipeline Construction In Chester County

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Material Leaks Into Tributary Of Marsh Creek State Park At Site Of Mariner East Pipeline Spill In 2020

-- DEP: Shell Petrochemical Plant Pays Additional $2,671,044.75 In Civil Penalties For 12-Month Air Quality Violations After May 2023 Consent Order  [PaEN]

-- Western PA Residents Comment After A Year Of Shell Petrochemical Plant Operations  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive: Beaver County Man Sues Shell Petrochemical Plant Over Smell, Noise: “Sounds Like A Freight Train 24 Hours A Day’

-- Beaver County Times: Lawsuit Claims Shell Petrochemical Plant Is A ‘Private, Public Nuisance’

-- Inside Climate News: Sonya Sanders Grew Up Next To Fmr Philadelphia Refinery, She’s Still Suffering From Environmental Trauma

-- Inside Climate News - Jake Bolster: New Demands To Measure Emissions From Oil & Gas Facilities Raise Cautious Hopes In PA Among Environmental Sluths Who Monitor Fracking Sites

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Pennsylvania Orders Disclosure Of Fracking Chemicals - Except For ‘Trade Secrets’

-- Train Derailments

-- Inside Climate News: 1 Year Later, Beaver County Residents Living Near Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Site Say They’re Still Sick 

-- Penn State Students Provide In-Depth Coverage Of Norfolk Southern Train Derailment And Its Impact 

-- LancasterOnline: One Year After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, Not Much Has Changed For Local Emergency Responders

-- Scranton Times: Scranton Raises Concerns About Norfolk Southern Rail Bridge’s Rusty Steel, Crumbling Concrete 

-- Post-Gazette: Why It Took A Year For Biden To Visit The Site Of The Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Fleeting Moments Of Unity Emerge In A  Town Divided By Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Gas Explosions

-- TribLive: Gas Leak Forces Evacuation Of Riverview Jr.-Sr. High School In Allegheny County 

-- TribLive: Natural Gas Odor Again Forces Evacuation Of Riverview H.S. In Allegheny County; Gas Leak Was Reported There Monday 

-- MCall: NTSB Releases Documents Related To Reading Chocolate Factory Natural Gas Explosion That Killed 7 People

-- Education

-- TribLive: Shapiro Budget Calls For Deep Cuts To Private Cyber School Funding, Public Schools In For Windfall

-- TribLive Editorial: The Fight Over Private Cyber Charter School Money

-- TribLive Editorial: School Security Is Too Important To Neglect

-- York Dispatch Editorial: Racists Aren’t Born, They’re Taught; Our Schools, Unfortunately, Are Helping Teach Them

-- WTAE: Republican Rep. Scialabba Introduces Bill To Ban Requiring Diversity Courses At PA Universities

-- TribLive: State-Owned University Chancellor Faces Tough Questions On Budget

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: State-Owned University System Still In The Dark About Proposed Higher Ed Reform Plan

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Lawmakers Frustrated By Lack Of Details And A Lot Of ‘I Don’t Know’s’ On Higher Education Budget Proposal

-- TribLive: FAFSA Financial Form Delays Prompt State-Owned Universities To Extend Enrollment Deadlines

-- TribLive: Pitt Becomes Latest College to Extend Student Decision Deadline Amid FAFSA Worries

-- KYW: Cheyney University Pushes Back Against Probation Decision, Plans To Fight To Preserve Legacy

-- Spotlight PA: What The Public Can And Can’t Know About Four Diamonds Beneficiary Of Penn State THON’s Fundraising

-- TribLive: Federal Student loan Forgiveness Plan In PA Wipes Out $45.1 Million In Debt For 5,600 Borrowers

-- TribLive Editorial: Penn State President’s Retention Bonus Is Out Of Touch Amid Cuts

-- Health Care

-- Tribune-Democrat: Shapiro’s Medical Debt Relief For Patients Draws Concerns From Rural Hospital Administrators

-- TribLive: Customers Lament Loss Of Small-Town Pharmacies As Reimbursement Formulas Become Unsustainable

-- Dept. Of Health: $1 Million In Tuition Assistance For EMS Professionals Now Available

-- WESA/WPSU: Pharmacy Closures In Rural Communities Lead To Unique Workarounds, Says Penn State Research

-- TribLive: PA Senate Taking Comments On 10-Year Plan To Help State’s Seniors

-- WESA: Pitt Study Finds Systemic Disparities In Prescribing Medication For Opioid Use Disorder

-- Citizens Voice: Geisinger Health System Servers Hit With Cyberattack

-- MCall: Flu Cases Rebounding Across Pennsylvania

-- Law Enforcement

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: She Grew Up Next To A State Prison, Now She’s Running The System

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA Prison Overtime Costs Climb $40 Million Over 2 Years

-- AP: PA Supreme Court Sides With Township Over Its Ban Of A Backyard Gun Range

-- Post-Gazette: Reports Of Child Abuse, Neglect In PA Are Rising After Dropping During Pandemic

-- PennLive: PA Supreme Court - PIAA Is A Public Agency, Subject To Right To Know Law

-- The Derrick: Venango County Residents Concerned ‘Illegal Immigrants’ Were Renting Local Hotel Rooms

-- The Daily Item: Unauthorized White Lives Matter Demonstration Held In Sunbury Saturday 

-- The Economy

-- The Center Square: Republican State Budget Critic Says Don’t Compete With Ohio, ‘We’re In Competition With North Carolina, Florida, Texas’

-- PennLive: PA Labor Dept. Cleared Unemployment Backlog, Looks To Add Investigators

-- Post-Gazette: Is PA’s Film Tax Credit Program Competitive? [At Creating Temporary Jobs?]

-- The Center Square: Commonwealth Court Rules State Worker’s Discrimination Claim Against Public Union Should Proceed

-- WESA: Pittsburgh Appeals Tax On Visiting Athletes To PA Supreme Court, Stops Collection

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: New Local Taxes Eyed For Mass Transit Financial Woes

-- Spotlight PA: PA Mortgage Assistance Program Closed For More Than A Year To Resolve Backlog, Will Reopen In March

-- TribLive: A Sense Of Shock And Resilience After Cleveland-Cliffs Announces Steel Mill Closure

-- TribLive Editorial: How Reliable Are Corporate Sale Promises?  [Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Closure]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: TV Show Production Gets $27 Million State Tax Credit

-- TribLive: Butler County Officials Announce Breach Of County Computer Network Involving Public’s Personal Data

[Posted: February 25, 2024]