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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- PennLive: Shapiro Pushes Aside Politics To Help Martin’s Potato Rolls Bring More ‘Darn Good Rolls’ To PA And Beyond

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Team PA Doesn’t Disclose its Donors; Paid $12,000 For Shapiro To Attend Phillies Games, Other Sporting Events

-- Wall Street Journal Guest Essay: Josh Shapiro, A Competent Pragmatist In Divided Times - By Salena Zito

-- Budget 2024

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Senate Republicans Push Forward Alternative To Shapiro’s Higher Ed Funding Proposals

-- Tribune-Democrat: As ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Spread Across PA, Officials Rush To Catch Up

-- Tribune-Democrat: ‘It’s The Wild West’: State Trying To Figure Out How To Tax, Regulate ‘Skill Gambling Games

-- Tribune-Democrat: Municipalities Can Levy Fees On ‘Skill’ Gambling Games, But Face Complications Keeping Track

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports April Tax Revenue Was $43 Million (0.8%) Over Their Estimates; Fiscal Year $326 Million (0.9%) Over Their Estimates

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports April Tax Collections Were$373.3 Million (7%) Over Their Estimates; Fiscal Year Revenues Up $739.3 Million (2%)

-- PA House/Senate

-- Citizens Voice: 117th State House Seat Still Not Decided In Luzerne County

-- WITF: House Republican Lawmakers Meet With Activist Who Believes Christians Are Mandated By God To Take Control Of All Aspects Of Government And Culture

-- PennLive: Bill Solidifying Grounds For Unemployment Benefits Denial Clears PA Senate

-- WITF: Gun Rights Advocates Meet On PA Capitol Steps For Lawmakers’ Annual Second Amendment Rally

-- The Center Square: Remote Stalking Ban Clears Legislative Hurdle

-- PennLive: Protester Glues Himself To Capitol Railing Over Sen. Augment’s Support Of Anti-LGBTQ Bills

-- Tribune-Democrat: As ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Spread Across PA, Officials Rush To Catch Up

-- Tribune-Democrat: ‘It’s The Wild West’: State Trying To Figure Out How To Tax, Regulate ‘Skill Gambling Games

-- Tribune-Democrat: Municipalities Can Levy Fees On ‘Skill’ Gambling Games, But Face Complications Keeping Track

-- US Senate/House

-- Inquirer: Republican Ad Attacks Casey Over Pro-Palestinian Campus Protests By Linking Them To Student Debt Relief

-- WHYY: Republican US Senate Candidate Records Video At Pro-Palestinian Protest Camp At Penn Saying ‘They Should Be Arrested’

-- AP: US Senate Races Are Roiled By Campus Protests Over The War In Gaza As Campaign Rhetoric Sharpens

-- Inquirer: Janelle Stelson Thinks She Can Get Support From Republicans To Beat PA Republican Con. Scott Perry, She Used To Be One Herself

-- Primary Election

-- City & State PA: PA Kicks Off Election Audit The Hard Way

-- PennLive Letter: Thanks To Election Officials And Poll Workers For A Smooth Primary

-- November Election

-- Post-Gazette: Path To Presidency Rocky For Biden, Ex-President After PA Primary Victories

-- PennLive: New Swing State Polling Has Ex-President With Small Lead Over Biden In PA, RFK Jr. Hurting Biden

-- PennLive - John Baer: Don’t Rely On Primary Election Results For Hints On Whether Biden Or Ex-President Wins PA In November

-- The Hill: Biden’s Pause On New LNG Gas Export Facility Permits Could Complicate Pennsylvania Strategy  [LNG Export Capacity Will Double During Pause; PA Shale Gas Coalition Wants To Export PA Gas To China, Our Competitor]

-- Election Reforms

-- AP: House Democrats Advance Bill To Help Counties Manage Influx Of Mail-In Ballots

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Advances Measure To Give Counties More Time To Prep Mail Ballots Before Elections

-- PA Capital-Star: Federal Court Rejects Request To Reargue Undated PA Mail-In Ballots Case

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- TribLive Editorial: For A Change, Lawmakers Put Ethics At The Fore; Now They Should Look In The Mirror [Game Commission]

-- The Energy Age Blog: In 2016 Game Commission Employee Fined $75,000 By Ethics Commission For Having A Side Business Helping Landowners Negotiate Gas Leases While Negotiating Game Commission Gas Leases

-- Inquirer Editorial: Protests Begin In The Streets But For Lasting Impact Should End At The Ballot Box

-- Inquirer Editorial: 2024 Isn’t 1968: University Protesters Need More Clarity About Their Goals

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA- $3.81  National- $3.66   Ohio- $3.40

-- National Fuel Gas Decreases Price Of Gas In Quarterly Adjustment, For Those Who Don’t Shop

-- PPL To Decrease Price Of Electricity In Quarterly Adjustment, For Those Who Don’t Shop

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Pennsylvania’s Pitch To Europe: ‘We’re Open For Energy Business’ 

-- DEP’s Latest Oil & Gas Workload Report (April 26) Shows ZERO Shale Gas Wells Drilled In That Week  [Will Have An Impact On Act 13 Fee Revenue]

-- Baker Hughes: Number Of PA Natural Gas Rigs Same As Last Week - 21

-- PJM Interconnection Anticipates Adequate Electric Generation Resources To Meet Summer Demand Under 'Anticipated Conditions'  [PaEN]

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: FERC, NERC Review Of Winter Storm Gas Infrastructure Failures Lacks Transparency, Provided Insufficient Scrutiny On Impacts - By Union Of Concerned

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: State Agencies Aren’t Listening To The People Who Produce Energy As The Develop Policy - By Mark Caskey, Steel Nation [Gas Industry-Related Business] 

-- The Hill: Biden’s Pause On New LNG Gas Export Facility Permits Could Complicate Pennsylvania Strategy  [LNG Export Capacity Will Double During Pause; PA Shale Gas Coalition Wants To Export PA Gas To China, Our Competitor]

-- Williamsport Editorial: LNG Gas Permit Ban Is Simply Unreasonable  [The Pause-- Not Ban--  Is On NEW Export Projects, LNG Export Capacity Will Double During Pause; PA Shale Gas Coalition Wants To Export PA Gas To China, Our Competitor]  

-- Reuters: Texas Gas Producers Turn To Flaring To Dispose Of Excess Natural Gas Amid Weak Prices  [Will PA Producers Do The Same?]

-- Reuters: US Stands To Lose Canadian Natural Gas When LNG Gas Canada Terminal Starts Up  

-- Bloomberg: Federal Trade Commission Alleges Shale Producer Scott Sheffield [Pioneer]  Tried To Collude With OPEC To Prop Up Crude Oil Prices By Coordinating Production Levels 

-- Financial Times: Federal Trade Commission OPEC Collusion Claim Against US Shale Oil Producer Sets Off Tremor In Oil Patch

-- Bloomberg: Texas Utility Makes Case Pipeline Prices Unfairly Drove Up Gas Prices In 2021 Storm 

-- Reuters: US Oil, Gas Production Rebounds In Feb. After Extensive Winter Storm Disruptions

-- Gas Explosions

-- TribLive: Donations Exceed $875,000 For Those Affected By Plum Boro Natural Gas House Explosion

-- TribLive Editorial: Plum Boro Neighborhood Where Natural Gas Home Explosion Occurred Emerges As Village Of Importance

-- Train Derailments

-- WHYY: Federal Rail Agency Conducted Limited Investigation Of Whitemarsh Train Derailment Finds Sinkhole Caused The Accident

-- AP: Union Pacific Railroad Undermined Regulators’ Efforts to Assess Safety, US Agency Says

-- AP: Investors Trying To Take Control Of Norfolk Southern Railroad Pick Up Key Support

-- Flooding

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces SBA Low-interest Loans Available For April 2024 Flood Survivors In Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington, Westmoreland Counties  [PaEN] 

-- Delaware River Basin Commission, PEMA, Other Partners  Make Available Flood Loss Reduction Assistance Resources For Local Officials  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: ‘Bathtub’ Funding Will Make Pittsburgh Safer, More Climate Resilient

-- WHYY: Federal Money Will Help Prepare 2 Philly Bridges For Climate-Driven Floods

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Drenching Rains Come More Frequently Now

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Flooded Basements Are More Dangerous Than They Seem - By Pitt Professors, Black Environmental Collective

-- Education

-- PennLive: Racism In PA Schools All Too Common PA Human Relations Commissions Leader Says

-- PennLive: Students Protest At Central Dauphin Over Lack Of Action Against ‘Cycle Of Racism’

-- York Dispatch: Far-Right PAC Met Secretly With School Board Members From Across Your County, Documents Show 

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Senate Republicans Push Forward Alternative To Shapiro’s Higher Ed Funding Proposals

-- City & State PA: Monitoring The Fallout From PA Campus Protests

-- AP: US Senate Races Are Roiled By Campus Protests Over The War In Gaza As Campaign Rhetoric Sharpens

-- TribLive: Arrests Made At Pro-Palestinian Protest On Pitt Campus

-- MCall: Lehigh Valley Protests Of Israel-Hamas War Reach New Level On Local College Campuses

-- TribLive Editorial: Kent State Shooting Should Teach Lessons For Dealing With Protesters

-- Inquirer Editorial: 2024 Isn’t 1968: University Protesters Need More Clarity About Their Goals

-- Inquirer Editorial: Protests Begin In The Streets But For Lasting Impact Should End At The Ballot Box

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA/WESA: How PA Counties Used Tens Of Millions In Opioid Settlement Dollars

-- TribLive: Western PA Hospitals Juggle Worsening Medication Shortages

-- Post-Gazette/AP: Vendor That Mishandled PA COVID Data To Pay $2.7 Million

-- Law Enforcement

-- The Center Square: Restorative Justice Advocates Ask For State-Level Reform

-- Erie Times: Cameras Banned From PA Courtrooms, Lawmaker Trying To Change That

-- Spotlight PA: State Advisory Committee Releases Plan For Historic Public Defense Money

-- The Economy

-- PennLive: Shapiro Pushes Aside Politics To Help Martin’s Potato Rolls Bring More ‘Darn Good Rolls’ To PA And Beyond

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Pennsylvania Wants To Lead A National Rural Revival

-- PennLive: Bill Solidifying Grounds For Unemployment Benefits Denial Clears PA Senate

-- TribLive/AP: Nippon Steel Delays Closing Of Acquisition Of US Steel Until After US DOJ Request

-- Other

-- PennLive: Legendary PA Native American Athlete Jim Thorpe Receives Medal Of Freedom

-- WITF: Activist Group Rallies Business Owners To Demand Apology From Republican Lancaster County Commissions Over Threats Made Against A Drag Queen Story Hour Event

[Posted: May 5, 2024]