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 Dispatch: Josh Shapiro Plots A Course For His Political Future

-- Inquirer: Bucks County Will Determine Control Of Senate, House Josh Shapiro Says Stumping For Bob Casey

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Gov. Shapiro Needs To Step Up His Environmental Game - By Tom Pike, Protect PT 

-- WHYY: Lt. Gov. Davis Touts 30% Jump In State Contracting With Black-Owned Businesses

-- Budget 2025

-- City & State PA: Special Report - Gaming In Pennsylvania

-- Post-Gazette/PennLive: PA Tops List Of States In Gambling Tax Revenues For 2023

-- City & State PA: In Battle Over How To Legislate ‘Skill’ Gambling Games, Everyone Is Playing For Keeps

-- PA House/Senate

-- Scranton Times: Sen. Flynn Hopes To Allow Flying Cars In Pennsylvania

-- US Senate/House

-- Inquirer: Bucks County Will Determine Control Of Senate, House Josh Shapiro Says Stumping For Bob Casey

-- TribLive: Deluzio, Fetterman Roll Out ‘Make Stuff Here’ Agenda To Help Democrats Reclaim Working Class Voters

-- TribLive: Fetterman Uses Curses, Insults To Mock JD Vance In Press Release

-- November Election

-- PennLive - John Baer: Hey, PA Voters, Ready To Decide Who Wins The White House?

-- Inquirer: About 3% Of PA Voters Undecided, Here’s What We Know About Them

-- Post-Gazette - Salena Zito: Who Are The Undecided Voters Who Will Decide The Election?

-- Post-Gazette: From Pittsburgh To Potter County, Allegheny River Offers Window Into PA’s Perplexing Political Divide

-- Post-Gazette: PA Cong. Summer Lee Says Democrats Should Go Left To Win In November

-- Inquirer: Growing Latino Support Could Help Ex-President Win PA

-- PennLive: Ex-President Warns Of ‘Massive Fraud’ With Mail-In Ballots As Campaign Urges PA Voters To Use Them

-- Elections

-- AP: Commonwealth Court Stops PA Counties From Throwing Out Mail-In Votes Over Incorrect Envelope Dates 

-- Spotlight PA: A Court Just Told PA Not To Reject Mail Ballots Missing Handwritten Dates, The Case Isn’t Over

-- AP: Court: Washington County Broke The Law By Refusing To Tell Voters If It Rejected Their Ballot And Wouldn’t Be Counted

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Washington County Mail-In Ballot Correction Decision Should Be Spread Statewide

-- TribLive: Westmoreland Commissioners Urged To Switch To Paper Ballots For November Election

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican Lawmakers Ask PA Supreme Court To Consider Lawsuit Over Absentee Ballot Counting

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Mail Ballots Cause Headaches For Tracking Vote Totals

-- Inquirer: The Law Finally Caught Up With Notorious Philadelphia Landlord-- But For Voting Fraud

-- WHYY: Phishing Scam Is Targeting Some PA Voters, Here’s What To Know

-- National Politics

-- TribLive Editorial: Butler County Shootings Cannot Stop Political Process

-- Bloomberg: Harris Rules Out Fracking Ban, Threading Needle On Fossil Fuels

-- Post-Gazette - Brandon McGinley: Harris-Walz Campaign Barring PG Reporters Due To Reporter Strike

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Many Voters Still Value Humility In Those They Elect To Office - By Mark Singel

-- WITF: After White Supremacists March In Harrisburg, Experts Say Most Area Leaders Model How To Respond 

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.35  Ohio- $3.29  PA- $3.49

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Drop Dramatically By 3 To 18 [Drillers Trying To Raise Gas Price]

-- Pittsburgh Works Together Releases New Report: The PJM Grid In Peril: What Will Keep The Lights On?  [PaEN]

-- Sen. Yaw To Introduce Bills To Establish PA Baseload Energy Development Fund Based On Texas Model; And Have One Permit For Power Plants  [PaEN] 

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Natural Gas Subsidy Plan Rolled Out To Stabilize Grid [Sen. Yaw’s Energy Development Fund ]

-- Utility Dive: Texas Energy Fund Elects 17 Gas-Fired Power Plant Projects Totaling Almost 10 GW For Possible Loans 

-- Reuters: Texas Energy Fund Approves Gas-Fired Power Plants For Next Stage Of Consideration 

-- Utility Dive: PA Senator [Sen. Yaw] To Introduce Energy Fund Bill, Bill To Require One Permit With One  ‘Statute of Limitations’ For Power Plant Projects

-- Utility Dive: PJM December Electricity Auction Prices Could Jump 157% Over July Auction, Morgan Stanley 

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Getting Real About Electric Grid Reliability In PJM After July Capacity Auction - By Glen Thomas, Former Chair of the PA Public Utility Commission 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Troubling Times Are Ahead For American Energy - By Commonwealth Foundation  [59% Of Energy On PA’s Electric Grid Comes From One Fuel]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Biden Clean Power Plant Reboot Will Cripple PA’s Energy Affordability - By Sen. Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland)  [Need To Diversify Our Energy Generation Away From 59% Natural Gas To Prevent Price Spikes]

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Traders More Worried About War, Other Risks Raising Prices Than Winter 

-- MarineLink.com: Texas Freeport LNG Gas Plant Shuts Down Again, Due To Return To Service

-- Reuters: Exxon’s Golden Pass LNG Gas Export Facility Asks FERC For 3-Year Extension To Complete Construction 

-- Flooding

-- Scranton Times: Lawmakers Urge Biden To Approve Federal Disaster Declaration For Tropical Storm Debby Damage

-- WNEP: Businesses In Susquehanna County Prepare For Possible 3rd Week Of Flooding 

-- PennLive: Most Facilities At Little Pine State Park Remain Closed Due To Flooding In Lycoming County

-- Williamsport Sun: Little Pine State Park Camping, Fishing Open For Labor Day, Some Areas Closed Due To Flood Damage

-- Williamsport Sun: Commissioners Approve Free Disposal Of Flood Debris At Lycoming County Landfill

-- StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Urges Insurer Flexibility For People Affected By Remnants Of Debby

-- Penn State Study Examines Perceptions Of Flood Insurance - Clients Often Underestimate Their Flood Risk, Lack Knowledge About Flood Insurance  [PaEN] 

-- Allegheny County Conservation District, Partners Host 5-Part Building Vibrant Communities Workshops Starting Sept. 24  [PaEN] 

-- Citizens Voice: $1.2 Million Brookside Levee Project Starts Today In Wilkes-Barre

-- Train Derailments

-- DEP To Test Drinking Water In PA Within 1 Mile Of Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Site For Next 10 Years After EPA Confirms Remediation Is Complete  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: Shapiro Announces 10-Year Plan To Test Water Near Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Site

-- Education

-- Erie Times: As PA Eyes More Money For Private School Vouchers, Other States Offer Sobering Lessons

-- Spotlight PA/WESA: Rising Vaccine Exemptions In PA Schools Up Chance Of Measles Outbreaks

-- TribLive: Carnegie Mellon Restricts Protests, Demonstrations In Updated Policy

-- TribLive: Jewish Students At Pitt Attacked, Suspect Arrested

-- The Center Square: University Of Pennsylvania Temporarily Bans Protest Encampments

-- TribLive: State-Owned University System Recommends Interim Chancellor

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA: Rural PA Faces Widening Health Services Gap; State Officials Think Loan Forgiveness Could Help

-- TribLive/AP: State Auditor Faults PA Agency Over Fees From Medicaid-Funded Prescriptions

-- Spotlight PA: Public Voices Often Ignored In States’ Opioid Settlement Money Decisions

-- Spotlight PA: Prior Misconduct Rarely An Obstacle For Doctors In PA’s Medical Marijuana Program

-- Law Enforcement

-- MCall - Bill White: Remembering The Lehigh Valley Man Who Overcame Priest Sex Abuse Trauma, Became A Voice For Victims

-- TribLive Editorial: There’s No Excuse For Not Reporting Child Sexual Abuse

-- WITF: After White Supremacists March In Harrisburg, Experts Say Most Area Leaders Model How To Respond 

-- MCall: PA Officials Consider Reform Of Constables’ Role

-- The Economy

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Report Says Pennsylvania’s Economy ‘Strong’ For Working Families

-- Erie Times: Erie County Adds 1,800 Manufacturing Jobs As Unemployment Holds At Record Low 3.5%

-- Scranton Times: Local Unemployment Rate Holds At Record 3.9%

-- WHYY: Lt. Gov. Davis Touts 30% Jump In State Contracting With Black-Owned Businesses

-- TribLive: Nippon Steel Pledges $1 Billion To Mon Valley Works Pending US Steel Acquisition As Government Opposition Continues

-- TribLive Editorial: The Promise And Threat Of Nippon Steel’s Investment Announced

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Rural Revitalization Commission Wants To Tackle Local Capacity Problems

-- Spotlight PA: Local Governments Need 12,000 People To Function, Experts Say

-- City & State PA: Special Report - Gaming In Pennsylvania

-- Post-Gazette/PennLive: PA Tops List Of States In Gambling Tax Revenues For 2023

-- City & State PA: In Battle Over How To Legislate ‘Skill’ Gambling Games, Everyone Is Playing For Keeps

-- ABC6: Ready-To-Drink Cocktails To Be Made Available At Gas Stations, Grocery Stores In PA

-- AP: PA Ammunition Plant Boosts Production Of Key Artillery Shells In Ukraine’s Fight Against Russia

-- Other

-- AP: Allentown Museum To Sell Painting In Settlement With Heirs Of Jewish Family That Fled The Nazis

[Posted: September 1, 2024]   PA Environment Digest