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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- AP: One Year After Assassination Attempt In Butler County, Changes At Secret Service But Questions Remain 

-- TribLive: Butler ‘United And Stronger Than Ever’ Year After Assassination Attempt, PA Republican Con. Kelly Says

-- MCall Guest Essay: We Are All Created In God’s Image Regardless Of Differences - By Rabbi Shoshanah Tornberg

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- PA Capital-Star: Gov. Shapiro Says Pennsylvanians ‘Got Screwed’ In The Federal Megabill Signed Into Law By The President [Medicaid, Food Stamp Cuts]

-- Politics PA: Gov. Shapiro: ‘They [Republicans] Lied To The Very People That Voted For Them’

-- ABCNews: Weeks After Receiving President’s Endorsement, PA Republican Con. Meuser Opts Not To Challenge Gov. Shapiro 

-- WNEP: Republican Con. Dan Meuser Will Not Run For Governor In 2026 

-- Inquirer Column: Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity Can’t Champion Rural Hospitals While Cheering A Bill That Will Shut Them Down 

-- TribLive: New Book Claims Gov. Shapiro’s Jewish Faith Was Not Why He Lost Out As VEEP Pick

-- Budget 2025

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: Nearly 2 Weeks Past Deadline, PA Officials Share Few Details On State Budget Progress 

-- The Center Square: Gov. Shapiro Says ‘Be Proud’ Of Legislative Leaders Amid Budget Talks  [Video] 

-- Spotlight PA: PA Lawmakers Consider Eliminating Some Sale Tax Exemptions To Raise Money 

-- TribLive Editorial: Should Pennsylvania Eliminate Sales Tax Exemptions?

-- PennLive: PA School Districts Scramble After President Withholds $230 Million In Critical Education Funding

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Regulating ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Dividing PA Lawmakers As State Budget Talks Drag On

-- Spotlight PA: Wages For Low Paid Home Care Workers Could Rise Under PA Budget Proposal, Is It Enough?

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: PA Needs To Stop Subsidizing Horse Racing And Put That Money Toward Transit

-- Spotlight PA: Popular Solar Energy For Schools Program Might Soon Go Dark

-- Independent Fiscal Office: New Federal Tax Changes Will Reduce Corporate Income Tax Revenue Due PA

-- PA Capital-Star: Gov. Shapiro Says Pennsylvanians ‘Got Screwed’ In The Federal Megabill Signed Into Law By The President [Medicaid, Food Stamp Cuts]

-- Politics PA: Gov. Shapiro: ‘They [Republicans] Lied To The Very People That Voted For Them’

-- PA House/Senate

-- Spotlight PA: PA Lawmakers Consider Eliminating Some Sale Tax Exemptions To Raise Money 

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Regulating ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Dividing PA Lawmakers As State Budget Talks Drag On

-- Post-Gazette: PA Lawmakers Pitch New Bill To Legalize Recreational Marijuana As Talks On Overdue State Budget Continue

-- PennLive: 20 Years Ago PA Lawmakers Gave Themselves A Raise While Pennsylvanians Slept

-- LancasterOnline: 20 Years After Legislative Pay Raise Scandal, Reformers Say Harrisburg Still Lacks Transparency And Integrity  

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: 20 Years After Pay Raise Scandal, Reformers Say Harrisburg Still Lacks Transparency And Integrity

-- The Center Square: PA House Passes 2 Juvenile Justice Reform Bills

-- The Center Square: House Resolutions: Symbolic Gesture Or A Waste Of Time?

-- US Senate/House

-- ABCNews: Weeks After Receiving President’s Endorsement, PA Republican Con. Meuser Opts Not To Challenge Gov. Shapiro 

-- WNEP: Republican Con. Dan Meuser Will Not Run For Governor In 2026 

-- PennLive: President Praises PA’s Sen. Fetterman For His Stance On Eliminating Federal ICE

-- PennLive: Gisele Fetterman Defends Her Husband, Her Soft Heart And Immigrants  

-- Post-Gazette: How PA Democrats Could Use Republican Spending Bill In 2026 Congressional Races

-- The Center Square: PA Democratic Cong. Deluzio Introduces New Federal Insurrection Act Proposal

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Activists Attempt Dialogue With Republican Con. Smucker’s Office To Challenge Republican Agenda 

-- Inquirer: Rep. Chris Rabb Announces Run For Dwight Evans’ Congressional Seat

-- WITF: Manheim Twp. Nurse Enters Race For Democratic Nomination Against Republican Con. Smucker

-- Statewide Offices

-- Inquirer Column: Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity Can’t Champion Rural Hospitals While Cheering A Bill That Will Shut Them Down 

-- AG Sunday Announces Settlement With 8 Opioid Manufacturers To Bring $28 Million To PA

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- 2026 Elections

-- Post-Gazette: How PA Democrats Could Use Republican Spending Bill In 2026 Congressional Races

-- Elections

-- PA Capital-Star: What To Know About The Push For Open Primary Elections In PA

-- PA Capital-Star: US Dept. Of Justice Presses Pennsylvania For Answers On How It Manages Voter Rolls

-- Impacts Of Federal Mega Budget Bill

-- PA Capital-Star: Gov. Shapiro Says Pennsylvanians ‘Got Screwed’ In The Federal Megabill Signed Into Law By The President [Medicaid, Food Stamp Cuts]

-- Politics PA: Gov. Shapiro: ‘They [Republicans] Lied To The Very People That Voted For Them’

-- WNEP: VP Vance To Visit Luzerne County Wednesday To Tout ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

-- Independent Fiscal Office: New Federal Tax Changes Will Reduce Corporate Income Tax Revenue Due PA

-- Altoona Mirror Editorial: Perils Await In Next Year’s Federal Tax Season

-- Post-Gazette: How PA Democrats Could Use Republican Spending Bill In 2026 Congressional Races

-- Spotlight PA: Medicaid Cuts In President’s Tax Bill Will ‘Devastate’ Access To Health Care In Rural PA, Critics Say

-- Inquirer Column: Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity Can’t Champion Rural Hospitals While Cheering A Bill That Will Shut Them Down 

-- Inquirer: PA’s Health Insurance Marketplace Estimates 150,000 People Could Lose Coverage Next Year If Congress Lets Enhanced Tax Credits Expire

-- York Daily Record: President’s Budget Bill Could Result In Over 42,000 People Losing Medicaid, Food Stamp Benefits In Republican PA Congressmen Perry, Smucker Districts 

-- York Dispatch: Impact Of President’s Tax, Spending Law On York County? 20% Of Residents On Medicaid, 13% Rely On Food Stamps, Both Cut Under The New Law 

-- Republican Herald: Hunger In Schuylkill County To Rise Amid Food Stamp Cuts, Official Say

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill School Districts Being Hit By Federal Funding Delay

-- Appalachian Voices: Urge Government Leaders To Continue Funding For Appalachian Regional Commission

-- Appalachian Voices: How The President’s Plan For The Federal Budget Hurts Appalachia 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Appalachian Regional Commission Faces 93% Budget Cut, Sparking Outcry From Local Economic, Community, Education Organizations

--Utility Dive: President Signs MegaBill Slashing Clean Energy Tax Credits, Promised Additional Restrictions On Wind, Solar, Electric Vehicle Projects

-- AP: What Do Know About The Clean Energy Cuts In Republican Megabill

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- Altoona Mirror Editorial: Perils Await In Next Year’s Federal Tax Season

-- PennLive: PA School Districts Scramble After President Withholds $230 Million In Critical Education Funding

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill School Districts Being Hit By Federal Funding Delay

-- Altoona Mirror: Federal Funding Freeze On Afterschool Programs Could Be ‘Catastrophic’ For Bedford County Students 

-- Inquirer: 30,000 Veterans Administration Employees Have Left, VA Cancels Mass Layoff Of 80,000 

-- TribLive: Veterans Administration Insists Veterans Services Remain Robust In Pittsburgh Despite Staff Cuts [VA Refused To Say How Many Staff Cut]

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: No One Should Get Measles In America

-- PA Capital-Star: Allegheny County Joins Immigrant Sanctuary Lawsuit Seeking To Block President’s Funding Cuts

-- PA Capital-Star: President’s Deportations Could Cost 115,000 Jobs In Pennsylvania, Report Finds

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: PA Leaders, President To Meet At Carnegie Mellon On Natural Gas, Data Centers As A.I. Threatens To Worsen Climate Change   [July 15]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Summit To Showcase Intersection Of Energy, A.I. And Policy  [July 15]

-- Post-Gazette - Chloe Jad/Anya Litvak: A Critical Energy And A.I. Summit Is Coming To Pittsburgh July 15; Is The City Ready For Its Close-Up? 

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro To Attend McCormick’s Energy, A.I. Summit In Pittsburgh 

-- Post-Gazette: PA US Sen. McCormick In The Spotlight As He Brings Focus On PA Energy, A.K. To Pittsburgh 

-- TribLive: President’s Participation In Energy Summit At Carnegie Mellon Met With Backlash

-- PennLive: President Praises PA’s Sen. Fetterman For His Stance On Eliminating Federal ICE

-- WESA: Law Enforcement Agencies Working With Federal ICE To Make Arrests In Pennsylvania 

-- MCall: Lehigh Valley Rapid Response Hotline Launches To Monitor Federal ICE Activity, Support Community 

-- Post-Gazette: Butler County Residents, Lawmakers At Odds Over Sheriff’s Partnership With Federal ICE

-- Citizens Voice: Luzerne County DA Signs Agreement For Federal ICE Program

-- Inquirer: Monarch Butterflies, Messages To Gov. Shapiro, And Joy During This Anti-ICE Art Workshop 

-- Republican Herald Editorial: One Federal Judge Struck Down President’s Near Total Ban On Asylum Following The Law, US Supreme Court Ignores It 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Eradicating Hate Is A Worthy Cause, Not ‘Grift’ - By Joseph Sabino Mistick

-- New Federal Administration

-- TribLive Editorial: What Does The Future Of Diversity Look Like? 

-- National Politics

-- TribLive: New Book Claims Gov. Shapiro’s Jewish Faith Was Not Why He Lost Out As VEEP Pick

-- Post-Gazette: How PA Democrats Could Use Republican Spending Bill In 2026 Congressional Races

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- PennLive: 20 Years Ago PA Lawmakers Gave Themselves A Raise While Pennsylvanians Slept

-- LancasterOnline: 20 Years After Legislative Pay Raise Scandal, Reformers Say Harrisburg Still Lacks Transparency And Integrity  

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: 20 Years After Pay Raise Scandal, Reformers Say Harrisburg Still Lacks Transparency And Integrity

-- The Center Square: Coca-Cola Driver Says Teamsters Union Extorted Money For Political Use, Now He’s Taking Them To Federal Court 

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.15  Ohio- $3.06  PA- $3.26

-- Baker Hughes: PA Drilling Rigs At 17, Same As Last Week

-- Delaware RiverKeeper, Better Path Coalition Urge Public To Oppose Federal Agency Proposal To Lift Ban On Shipping LNG Natural Gas By Rail; Comments Due Aug. 4   [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: PA Leaders, President To Meet At Carnegie Mellon On Natural Gas, Data Centers As A.I. Threatens To Worsen Climate Change   [July 15]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Summit To Showcase Intersection Of Energy, A.I. And Policy  [July 15]

-- Post-Gazette - Chloe Jad/Anya Litvak: A Critical Energy And A.I. Summit Is Coming To Pittsburgh July 15; Is The City Ready For Its Close-Up? 

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro To Attend McCormick’s Energy, A.I. Summit In Pittsburgh 

-- Post-Gazette: PA US Sen. McCormick In The Spotlight As He Brings Focus On PA Energy, A.K. To Pittsburgh 

-- TribLive: President’s Participation In Energy Summit At Carnegie Mellon Met With Backlash

-- PJM Interconnection Opens Next Electric Capacity Auction Bidding Window Of July 9 to 15 For 2026-27 Electric Delivery; Hold Your Breath!  [PaEN] 

-- US Dept. Of Energy Releases Report On Electric Grid Reliability, Security Saying Generation Growth Must Match Needs Of A.I. Data Centers;  But What About ‘Ordinary People’?   [PaEN] 

-- Reuters: LNG Canada’s Start-Up Yet To Lift Natural Gas Prices Amid Supply Glut

-- Bloomberg: Puerto Rico Board Halts New Fortress Energy’s $20 Billion LNG Gas Deal Saying It Would Give The Company ‘Near Monopoly’ Over Island Energy Future 

-- Newsweek: Oil & Natural Gas Drilling Plummets Under President Despite ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Promise Due To Market Forces 

-- Reuters: APA Corp Said It Curtailed US Natural Gas, Liquids Production In 2nd Quarter On Weak Prices

-- Flooding

-- Gov. Shapiro Announces Support For Multi-Agency Resources Center For Those Impacted By Severe Storms In Susquehanna County; Center To Open July 14  [PaEN]  

-- WNEP: Flash Flooding In Wayne And Pike Counties

-- TribLive: When It Comes To Heeding Flood Warnings: ‘Overkill Is OK’ McCandless Father Says Whose Daughters Were Rescued From Flooding In Allegheny County 

-- ReImagine Appalachia, Central Appalachian Network Host July 17 Webinar On Nature Based Hazard Mitigation To Reduce Flooding, Noon 

-- Scranton Times: Olyphant, Mayfield In Lackawanna County Grapple With Flood Zone Designations  

-- Allegheny County Hazard Mitigation Plan Update Public Input Virtual Workshop July 15, 6:30 p.m.

-- ReImagine Appalachia, Central Appalachian Network Host July 17 Webinar On Nature Based Hazard Mitigation To Reduce Flooding  [PaEN] 

-- Sustainable Pittsburgh Hosts Aug. 7 Webinar On Stormwater Management And Hazard Mitigation For Municipalities  [PaEN] 

-- TribLive: National Weather Service Taps Technology, Volunteer Network To Monitor Storms 

-- Courier Times: Remembering 7 Lives Lost In July 2023 Upper Makefield Twp. Fatal Flood In Bucks County 

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Task Force 1 Heads To Texas To Assist With Rescue And Recovery Efforts 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Communities Need Help To Cope With Storms Climate Change Is Accelerating - By Jen Mazzocco 

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Government And Citizens Share Responsibility For Emergency Preparedness [PDF of Article]  

-- TribLive Editorial: Prediction, Prevention Critical To Natural Disaster Response 

-- PennLive Editorial: Texas Flood Tragedy Should Be A Wake-Up Call For Pennsylvania  

-- Inquirer Editorial: President’s Continued Denial Of Climate Change Helps Fuel Death, Destruction Across The Country [Texas Floods]

-- Bloomberg: Texas Flooding Killed More Than 100 People, Preliminary Damage, Economic Loss at $18 to $22 Billion 

-- Bloomberg: Few Texas Homeowners Hit By Extreme Rains Have Federal Flood Insurance 

-- PA Dept. Of Insurance: Why Should I Consider Flood Insurance? 

-- Emergency Response

-- TribLive: 911 Outage Strikes Pennsylvania, State Official Says Techs Still Working On It

-- TribLive: 911 Working Normally, Investigation Continues Into Cause Of Outages 

-- Three Mile Island Restart/Data Centers

-- PJM Interconnection Opens Next Electric Capacity Auction Bidding Window Of July 9 to 15 For 2026-27 Electric Delivery; Hold Your Breath!  [PaEN] 

-- Reuters: PJM, America’s Largest Power Grid, Is Struggling To Meet Demand From A.I.; Electricity Bills Are Projected To Surge 20% This Summer  [PDF of Article] 

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: As More A.I. Data Centers Connect To PA’s Electric Grid, Some Worry Prices Will Spike 

-- Financial Times: US Utilities Plot Big Rise In Electricity Rates As Data Centre Demand Booms

-- Bloomberg: Electric Bills In US Set To Rise As Utility Requests For Rate Hikes To Accommodate A.I. Data Center Demands Double 

-- DEP Invites Comments On An Air Quality Permit For A Proposed 218 MW Natural Gas Power Plant For A Data Center In Bradford County; Site Originally Proposed For An LNG Gas Facility  [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times: Developer Looks To Build 30+ Data Centers In North Pocono Using 1.5 GW Of Power In Lackawanna County

-- Wall Street Journal: Can Pittsburgh’s Old Steel Mills Be Turned Into An A.I. Hub?  [PDF of Article] 

-- Philadelphia Business Journal: Massive 6 Million Square Foot Data Center Proposed In New Castle, Delaware 

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: Amazon Building 2 New Data Centers In Pennsylvania

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Dispute Arises Between Contractors Over Demolition At Homer City Data Campus Redevelopment 

-- TribLive: Judge Halts Demolition Of Homer City Power Plant Over Contractor Dispute

-- Utility Dive: Ohio Regulators Approve Special AEP  Data Center Interconnection Rules, Lifts AEP  Moratorium On Connecting New Centers 

-- US Dept. Of Energy Releases Report On Electric Grid Reliability, Security Saying Generation Growth Must Match Needs Of A.I. Data Centers;  But What About ‘Ordinary People’?   [PaEN] 

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: PA Leaders, President To Meet At Carnegie Mellon On Natural Gas, Data Centers As A.I. Threatens To Worsen Climate Change   [July 15]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Summit To Showcase Intersection Of Energy, A.I. And Policy  [July 15]

-- Post-Gazette - Chloe Jad/Anya Litvak: A Critical Energy And A.I. Summit Is Coming To Pittsburgh July 15; Is The City Ready For Its Close-Up? 

-- Post-Gazette: Gov. Shapiro To Attend McCormick’s Energy, A.I. Summit In Pittsburgh 

-- Post-Gazette: PA US Sen. McCormick In The Spotlight As He Brings Focus On PA Energy, A.K. To Pittsburgh 

-- TribLive: President’s Participation In Energy Summit At Carnegie Mellon Met With Backlash

-- Reuters: EIA Forecasts Record Power Use In 2025, 2026 As Natural Gas Generation Slides, Renewables Increase 

-- Utility Dive: DOE Report: Load Growth, Plant Retirements Could Drive 100X Increase In Blackouts By 2030; Clean Energy Advocates Say It Likely Exaggerates The Risk 

-- Bloomberg: US DOE Report Warns Of Blackouts In Precursor To Help Coal

-- E&E News: US DOE Plays Out Worst-Case Scenarios For Electric Grid In Report Viewed As Groundwork For Order On Coal, Gas Power Plants To Support A.I. Data Centers

-- Utility Dive: DOE Report: Load Growth, Plant Retirements Could Drive 100X Increase In Blackouts By 2030; Clean Energy Advocates Say It Likely Exaggerates The Risk 

-- Education

-- PennLive: PA School Districts Scramble After President Withholds $230 Million In Critical Education Funding

-- Republican Herald: Schuylkill School Districts Being Hit By Federal Funding Delay

-- Altoona Mirror: Federal Funding Freeze On Afterschool Programs Could Be ‘Catastrophic’ For Bedford County Students 

-- PA Capital-Star: With Budgets Already Approved, Some PA School Districts Banking On Private Cyber Charter School Taxpayer Funding Reform

-- Post-Gazette: State-Owned Universities One Step Closer To Course Sharing

-- TribLive: University Of Pittsburgh Approves Tuition, Fee Increases For Fall Term, Lifts Hiring Freeze

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: PA Leaders, President To Meet At Carnegie Mellon On Natural Gas, Data Centers As A.I. Threatens To Worsen Climate Change   [July 15]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Summit To Showcase Intersection Of Energy, A.I. And Policy  [July 15]

-- TribLive: President’s Participation In Energy Summit At Carnegie Mellon Met With Backlash

-- Health Care

-- PA Capital-Star: Gov. Shapiro Says Pennsylvanians ‘Got Screwed’ In The Federal Megabill Signed Into Law By The President [Medicaid, Food Stamp Cuts]

-- York Dispatch: Impact Of President’s Tax, Spending Law On York County? 20% Of Residents On Medicaid, 13% Rely On Food Stamps, Both Cut Under The New Law 

-- Republican Herald: Hunger In Schuylkill County To Rise Amid Food Stamp Cuts, Official Say

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: No One Should Get Measles In America

-- Spotlight PA: Wages For Low Paid Home Care Workers Could Rise Under PA Budget Proposal, Is It Enough?

-- WHYY: Rehab And Nursing Home Operator Genesis HealthCare Files For Bankruptcy With Locations In PA, DE, NJ

-- Spotlight PA: Why State Board Handing Out Millions In Opioid Settlement Funds Is Shielded From State’s Public Records Law

-- TribLive Editorial: Giant Eagle Might Be Just What The Doctor Ordered For Pharmacy Problems

-- Law Enforcement

-- Post-Gazette: PA Lawmakers Pitch New Bill To Legalize Recreational Marijuana As Talks On Overdue State Budget Continue

-- Post-Gazette: How The Jehovah’s Witnesses Sex Abuse Crisis In PA Unfolded

-- The Center Square: PA House Passes 2 Juvenile Justice Reform Bills

-- Inquirer: Philadelphia Judge Taken Off The Bench After A Colleague Said He Attempted To Influence His Decision In A Case, Sources Say

-- PA Capital-Star: Allegheny County Joins Immigrant Sanctuary Lawsuit Seeking To Block President’s Funding Cuts

-- WESA: Law Enforcement Agencies Working With Federal ICE To Make Arrests In Pennsylvania 

-- MCall: Lehigh Valley Rapid Response Hotline Launches To Monitor Federal ICE Activity, Support Community 

-- Post-Gazette: Butler County Residents, Lawmakers At Odds Over Sheriff’s Partnership With Federal ICE

-- Citizens Voice: Luzerne County DA Signs Agreement For Federal ICE Program

-- Inquirer: Monarch Butterflies, Messages To Gov. Shapiro, And Joy During This Anti-ICE Art Workshop 

-- The Economy

-- PA Capital-Star: President’s Deportations Could Cost 115,000 Jobs In Pennsylvania, Report Finds

[Posted: July 13, 2025]