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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Butler County Shootings

-- Tribune-Democrat: PA Politicians Call For Toned-Down Political Rhetoric In Wake Of Attempted Assassination

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: PA House Minority Leader Calls For Special Committee To Investigate Butler County Assassination Attempt

-- PennLive Editorial: In A Democracy, We’re Not Supposed to Try To Kill People With Whom We Disagree

-- TribLive Editorial: Add Political Rallies To The Places We Aren’t Safe

-- TribLive: For Western PA Delegates, A Republican National Convention Unlike Any In Recent Memory

-- Post-Gazette: Assassination Attempt Reignites Concerns About Western PA’s History Of Violent Extremism

-- TribLive: FBI: Shooter Acted Alone, Motive Remains Unknown

-- WESA: Composite Portrait Of Alleged Shooter: Quiet, Smart, Conservative

-- AP: Political Divisions Stall Proposed Gun Policies In Pennsylvania Long Before Butler County Shootings

-- WHYY: Butler County Rally Shootings Tied To Lax PA Gun Laws, Advocates Say

-- TribLive: Attorney General Henry Calls For Assault-Weapons Ban

-- TribLive Editorial: Democracy Must Stand Up To Violence

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Enough. Enough!

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Gov. Shapiro Would Bring A Battleground State, Political Acumen To A National Democratic Ticket

-- PennLive: As Democrats Worry About Biden, Could Gov. Shapiro Get A New Job?

-- Politics PA: If Biden Steps Aside, Could Shapiro Be Under Consideration For VP?

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Lt. Gov. Austin Davis Denounces Republican Project 2025 In Pittsburgh Speech

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Shapiro’s SITES Funding Will Make PA Competitive With Other States

-- Budget 2024

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Legal Marijuana, Big Tax Cuts, Minimum Wage Increase Budget Losers

-- PennLive: PA’s 2024-25 Budget Has Its Winners, Losers And Toss-Ups

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Shapiro’s SITES Funding Will Make PA Competitive With Other States

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: This Year’s Budget Overturns Local Bans On Rodeos; No PA Lawmaker Will Take Credit

-- Independent Fiscal Office Report: General Fund Surplus Likely To Be Depleted Next Year, Run $892 Million Deficit For FY 2023-24 Due To Corporate Rate Cuts, Other Factors

-- The Center Square -  Anthony Hennen: Independent Fiscal Office - Pennsylvania To Have Budget Deficit Next Year

-- Politics PA: Independent Fiscal Office Says General Fund Surplus Likely To Be Depleted By Next Year

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports Record Tax Revenue In 2023-24 From Legal Gambling

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports June Revenue Was 7.15% Higher Than June 2023

-- Statewide Races

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

-- PA House/Senate

-- PA Capital-Star: Two Democratic Philadelphia House Members Resign Setting Up Special Elections [Rep. Bullock, Rep. Kinsey]

-- Tribune-Democrat: 2 Democrats Exit PA House, Voting Majority Drops To Tie Ahead Of Special Elections

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: PA Legislators Want To Advance Nation’s Genetic Surveillance Dragnet

-- US Senate/House

-- PA Capital-Star: Casey, McCormick Raise Over $8 Million Each In Q2 For US Senate Race

-- PA Capital-Star: Stelson Doubles Perry’s Q2 Fundraising For Congressional Race

-- November Election

-- Post-Gazette: PA Polling Experts Weigh In On Biden’s Presidential Chances, Potential Replacements

-- Post-Gazette: As Republicans Talk Of Winning Pennsylvania, Democrats Earmark $2 Million For The State

-- PennLive: Democratic National Committee Steers $15 Million To Battleground States, Including PA

-- Inquirer: Republicans In Strongest Position Yet To Win Pennsylvania And The White House

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican National Committee Is About 2024, But 2020, Assault On US Capitol Are Still On Minds Of Pittsburgh Delegates

-- Washington Examiner - Salena Zito: The Most Important 42 Miles In American Politics - Butler, PA To East Palestine, OH

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Lt. Gov. Austin Davis Denounces Republican Project 2025 In Pittsburgh Speech

-- Election Reforms

-- WHYY: PA Mail Ballot Envelopes Will Now Be Printed With Full Year Filled Out

-- National Politics

-- Post-Gazette: As Republicans Talk Of Winning Pennsylvania, Democrats Earmark $2 Million For The State

-- PennLive: Democratic National Committee Steers $15 Million To Battleground States, Including PA

-- Inquirer: Republicans In Strongest Position Yet To Win Pennsylvania And The White House

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican National Committee Is About 2024, But 2020, Assault On US Capitol Are Still On Minds Of Pittsburgh Delegates

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: The Republican Party Has Given Up On People Like Me - By Fmr Republican Rep. Jeff Coleman

-- Washington Examiner - Salena Zito: The Most Important 42 Miles In American Politics - Butler, PA To East Palestine, OH

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- LancasterOnline: Conservative PA Election Integrity Group Met With 2 Architects Of 2020 Effort To Overturn Election 

-- Post-Gazette/WPost: Federal Prosecutors Being Dropping Obstruction Charges Against Proud Boys, Others Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- TribLive Editorial: Challenging Times Require People To Do The Reading

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA-- $3.65  National-- $3.50   Ohio-- $3.49

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Rigs Remain At 21, Same As Last Few Weeks

-- Bloomberg: Major Texas LNG Gas Export Facility Outage Dented Exports, Points To Massive US Natural Gas Supply Glut

-- Bloomberg: Hurricane Beryl Serves As Ominous Warning For Gulf Coast LNG Gas Export Facilities  [LNG Gas Facilities Vulnerable To Many Weather Threats]

-- YaleEnvironment360: A Gulf Coast Activist Rallies Her Community Against LNG Gas Export Facilities 

-- Bloomberg: China To Boost Funding To Reduce Emissions At Coal Plants Thru Biomass, Green Ammonia

-- Bloomberg: Shipping Companies Betting Billions On Tankers To Transport Green Ammonia To Decarbonize Industry

--Gas Explosions

-- PUC Investigation Concludes No Evidence 2023 Plum Boro Home Natural Gas Explosion In Allegheny County Caused By Gas Utility Equipment  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Peoples Gas Not At Fault In Plum Home Natural Gas Explosion That Killed 6, PUC Concludes

-- KDKA: Plum Residents Have Some Answers 1 Year After Deadline Natural Gas Explosion That Killed 6

-- TribLive: Peoples Gas Service Lines Not Responsible For Plum Natural Gas Home Explosion, PUC Finds

-- TribLive Editorial: PUC Report On Plum Home Natural Gas Explosion Doesn’t Deliver Final Answer

-- Train Derailments

-- PA US Senators Press Norfolk Southern On Safety And Labor Practices Following Altoona-Area Train Derailment

-- AP: EPA Watchdog Investigating Delays In How The Agency Used Sensor Plan After Fiery Norfolk Southern Train Derailment In Ohio

-- AP: Few Residents Opt Out Of $600 Million Class Action Settlement In Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- Washington Examiner - Salena Zito: The Most Important 42 Miles In American Politics - Butler, PA To East Palestine, OH

-- Flooding

-- WHYY: FEMA Announces $2 Million+ To Help Flood-Prone Eastwick In Philadelphia

-- Citizens Voice: Residents, Officials Still Await Decision On Federal Flood Maps Appeal From 2021

-- Allegheny County Conservation District Releases Updated Development, Stormwater Data; Sept. 24 Workshop On Stormwater Trends  [PaEN] 

-- Stormwater Solutions: Hanover, York County Leveraging Community-based Public-Private Partnership To Fund Green Water Infrastructure 

-- Scranton Times Editorial: FEMA’s Looming Budget Deficit Calls For Resources, New Thinking

-- Johnstown Area Heritage Assn: July 20, 1977 - Second Johnstown Flood, Killing 41 People

-- Education

-- Post-Gazette: PA State-Owned Universities Freeze Tuition For 7th Consecutive Year

-- Tribune-Democrat: Head Of State-Owned Universities Commits To Tuition Freeze As System Set To Get $620 Million In New State Budget

-- Post-Gazette: Penn State Increases Tuition For Some, Axes Millions In Branch Campus Funding

-- Spotlight PA: Penn State Trustee Sues University For Keeping Critical Financial Records From Him

-- Health Care

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Will Save PA Pharmacies

-- Law Enforcement

-- AP: Political Divisions Stall Proposed Gun Policies In Pennsylvania Long Before Butler County Shootings

-- WHYY: Butler County Rally Shootings Tied To Lax PA Gun Laws, Advocates Say

-- TribLive: Attorney General Henry Calls For Assault-Weapons Ban

-- TribLive Editorial: Add Political Rallies To The Places We Aren’t Safe

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: PA Legislators Want To Advance Nation’s Genetic Surveillance Dragnet

-- TribLive: Cyberattack Targets Allegheny County DA’s Office

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: PA’s Lack Of Support For Public Defenders Is ‘Unconstitutional,’ So We’re Suing

-- The Economy

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: PA Raises Net Operating Loss Caps, Relief Not Immediate

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports Record Tax Revenue In 2023-24 From Legal Gambling

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports June Revenue Was 7.15% Higher Than June 2023

-- TribLive: Rivers Casino Workers, Fearful Of Gambling On Health, Rally Behind Effort To Ban Smoking

-- PennLive: Workers, Lawmaker To Rally At Gaming Conference To Demand Smoke-Free Casinos In PA

-- Centre Daily Times: Nittany Mall Casino Can Move Forward, PA Supreme Court Rules

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Property Reassessment Uncertainty Kills Growth In Pennsylvania

-- Spotlight PA: Population Decline In PA Happening Faster Than Expected; Here’s How The State Is Dealing With It - They Appointed A Commission

-- Other

-- Scranton Times: Man Charged With Committing $1.5 Million COVID Funding Fraud

[Posted: July 21, 2024]   PA Environment Digest