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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Spotlight PA: Adults With Intellectual Disabilities May Wait Years For Services, Shapiro’s Budget Would Help

-- Gov. Shapiro Visits Dickinson College Farm To Highlight Energy Plan, Proposed Investments In Agriculture

-- Budget 2024

-- New State Budget Is Due July 1

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Senate Republican Leader Says Budget Talks Need ‘A Kick In The Pants’

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Senate Republican Leader Says State Budget Talks Moving Along But May Miss July 1 Deadline

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: House Republican Policy Committee Wrestles With Tax Burden And The Local/State Divide

-- Post-Gazette: Debate Over Private School Vouchers In PA Is Back; Here’s Where The Controversial Program Stands

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania’s Education Reform Recap

-- Spotlight PA: Adults With Intellectual Disabilities May Wait Years For Services, Shapiro’s Budget Would Help

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Legal Pot Likely Won’t Be In This Year’s Budget, But Supporters Say There’s A Silver Lining

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: Don’t Give ‘Skill’ Gambling Game Operators A ‘Disastrous’ Sweetheart Tax Deal - By Former Gov. Ed Rendell

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: PA Turnpike Says It Is Making Progress On $180 Million In Uncollected Tolls

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports May Revenue Up 8.68% Over May 2023

-- Statewide Races

-- City & State PA: Guide To PA’s Attorney General Race

-- PA House/Senate

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Lawmakers Who Survived Catholic Child Sexual Abuse Push For Long-Sought Amendment Before Leaving Office

-- WHYY: Democratic Rep. Bullock To Resign To Head Project HOME

-- Erie Times: Sen. Laughlin, Erie Reader Newspaper Suing Each Other; Laughlin, Wife Drove Around And Collected Hundreds Of Newspapers Including A Column Critical Of Senator

-- US Senate/House

-- AP:  Fight For Abortion Rights Gets An Unlikely Messenger In Swing State PA: Bob Casey

-- AP: Democrats Put Spotlight On More Than 1 Million Pension Saved Under 2021 Federal Law [Bob Casey]

-- Inquirer: Democrats Plan To Spend Big To Flip Con. Scott Perry’s Seat; Republicans Say They’re Wasting Their Money

-- PA Capital-Star: Teenage Campaign Manager Working On Former Teacher’s Republican Bid For Congress In Chester County

-- November Election

-- Spotlight PA: Right-Wing Group Sues Over Errors In PA Voter Registration Records

-- Inquirer: Controversial Montgomery County Couple Wants To ‘Repopulate’ The Earth, And Get Elected To The PA House

-- AP: RFK Jr.’s Campaign Files Petitions To Get On Presidential Ballot In Swing-State Pennsylvania

-- WESA: Will Young Pittsburgh-Area Democrats Rally Behind Biden’s Reelection?

-- Election Reforms

-- Post-Gazette: How Dark Money Fueled Allegheny County Executive Race Exposing Weaknesses In PA Campaign Finance Laws

-- National Politics

-- PA Capital-Star: Republicans Bring Nationwide Effort To Recruit Poll Workers, Poll Watchers To Bucks County

-- AP: Biden, Allied Republicans Are Trying To Rally Republican Women In Swing-State Suburbs Away From Ex-President

-- AP: Ex-President Will Address Influential Evangelicals Who Back Him But Want To See A National Abortion Ban

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices:  PA - $3.63  National- $3.45   Ohio - $3.38

-- IRRC Approves Final Revised PUC Regulations Strengthening Rules For Intrastate Hazardous Liquids Pipelines; Gas Pipelines Fined Over $71 Million, Have Worst Compliance Record Of Any Industry, Including Criminal Charges  [PaEN]

-- PUC: Act 13 Drilling Impact Fee Revenue Drops $100 Million From Last Year’s Record To $179.6 Million; Puts Hole In State, Local Budgets  [PaEN] 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs, No Change From Last Week - 21

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy Podcast: How Potential For Global LNG Gas Oversupply Could Affect The Competitiveness Of The US Industry

-- Bloomberg: Cracks Appearing In LNG Gas Demand By China As Gas Supply Via Pipelines Grows

-- Utility Dive: NERC 2023 Report - Aging Coal Power Plants Are Increasingly Unreliable Due To Cycling Increases And Deferred Maintenance

-- Reuters: Oil Companies Flare More Natural Gas, Defying Effort To Eliminate Practice  

-- Train Derailments

-- The Allegheny Front: NTSB Set To Vote On Investigation Of Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Tuesday

-- AP: Norfolk Southern Said Ahead Of The NTSB Hearing That Railroads Will Examine Vent and Burn Decisions

-- Norfolk Southern To Establish Rail Accident Vent & Burn Workgroup Required As Part Of EPA Settlement

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Young People Reflect On Norfolk Southern Train Derailment After 16 Months: Anxiety, Apathy, Acceptance

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Restarting Life After The Norfolk Southern Toxic Train Derailment Brings Agony, Anxiety And A Few Moments Of Joy

-- Flooding

-- PEMA Reminds Residents Of June 28 Deadline For SBA Loans For Flood Recovery In Southwest PA

-- Patch.com: Philadelphia, Delaware, Bucks Counties Among Worst In US For Flooding 

-- TribLive: Jeannette Flood Project Set To Begin After Years Of Delays 

-- Public Source: When It Rains, Fear Still Reigns In Pittsburgh’s Flood-Prone Four Mile Run Watershed

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Wilkes-Barre To Conduct Flood Wall Drill

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Hurricane Agnes Could Never Wash Away The Spirit Of The People 

-- White House Releases Agency Climate Adaptation Plans To Build Climate Resilience

-- Education

-- Post-Gazette: Debate Over Private School Vouchers In PA Is Back; Here’s Where The Controversial Program Stands

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania’s Education Reform Recap

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA School District Taxes Expected To Rise Almost 5%

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: As Technical Schools Close, Training Skilled Workers Cannot Fall To The Wayside

-- TribLive: Proposed IUP Medical School Gets $20 Million Pledge From Foundation, Support From PA Legislators

-- Spotlight PA: Colleges Would Face Financial Punishments For Boycotting Or Divesting From Israel Under New PA Bill

-- MCall: Lafayette College Settles US Dept. Of Education Investigation Into Alleged Antisemitism

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA: Adults With Intellectual Disabilities May Wait Years For Services, Shapiro’s Budget Would Help

-- Spotlight PA: Drug Testing, Philly Parks, And Other Opioid Money Decisions Await Final Approval In PA

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Two-Thirds Of Opioid Trust Fund Unspent

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Lackluster Accountability Continues To Mar PA’s Opioid Settlement Spending

-- PennLive: Nurse Staffing In Crisis In PA Hospitals

-- Spotlight PA: Top Penn State Health Surgeon Warned Leaders About Transplant Problems Months Before Shutdown, Then He Was Let Go

-- Law Enforcement

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Lawmakers Who Survived Catholic Child Sexual Abuse Push For Long-Sought Amendment Before Leaving Office

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Legal Pot Likely Won’t Be In This Year’s Budget, But Supporters Say There’s A Silver Lining

-- AP: PA Supreme Court Will Decide Whether ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Are Gambling Machines

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: Don’t Give ‘Skill’ Gambling Game Operators A ‘Disastrous’ Sweetheart Tax Deal - By Former Gov. Ed Rendell

-- The Economy

-- Post-Gazette: Which Movies, Shows Got PA Taxpayer Funding For Filming In Pennsylvania, Was It Worth It?  [Spoiler- No]

-- Courier Times: What Does It Mean To Be Middle Class In PA?  Did You Make The Cut?

-- Post-Gazette: PA Poised To Profit From Massive Data Centers, But Has Some Catching Up To Do

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports May Revenue Up 8.68% Over May 2023

-- Dept. Of Labor & Industry: May Unemployment Rate 3.4%, 8th Consecutive Month

[Posted: June 23, 2024]