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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: America’s Choice - The Way Of Hatred Versus The Way Of Grace 

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Wants In On Federal Legal Battle To Protect Food Stamp Data For 2 Million PA Recipients

-- Gov. Shapiro: PJM Electric Grid Operator Is 'Not Working Anymore,' 'I Won't Stand For A Status Quo That Perpetuates Slowdowns And Rising Costs’  [PaEN]

-- Shapiro Administration: PJM Regional Electric Grid Operator Passed Over Qualified Candidates Suggested By A Bipartisan Coalition Of Governors To Fill Vacant Board Seats  [PaEN]  

-- Race For Governor

-- Post-Gazette: Poll: PA Republican Primary Voters Favor Sen. Mastriano Over Endorsed Candidate Stacy Garrity By Wide Margin 

-- Post-Gazette: PA Governor’s Race Heats Up As Republican Stacy Garrity’s Statewide Tour Swings Through Pittsburgh Region 

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican Garrity Brings Gubernatorial Campaign To Bucks County

-- Spotlight PA: With Official Republican Endorsement Under Her Belt, Stacy Garrity Goes On Offensive Against Shapiro 

-- WESA: Republican Stacy Garrity Blasts Shapiro, Pledges To Do More For PA As Governor 

-- Budget 2025

-- Post-Gazette: PA Poised For Potential Federal Shutdown Amid State Budget Impasse

-- Inquirer: PA State Budget Nearly 3 Months Late, Leaders Can’t Agree On The Basics

-- Spotlight PA: PA Lawmakers, Shapiro Administration Officials In Ireland At Steelers Game During State Budget Crisis That’s Requiring State Agencies To Avoid Travel, Cancel In-Person Meetings, Schools To Borrow Money, Counties, Nonprofit Groups To Lay Off Staff

-- PA State Treasurer Garrity Announces $500 Million Short-Term Loan Program For Counties, Head Start As State Budget Impasse Continues 

-- PennLive: PA State Treasurer Garrity To Open $500 Million Loan Pool For Counties, Head Start As State Budget Impasse Continues

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania School Facilities Continue To Pose Health Risks And Are Obstacles To Learning

-- TribLive: State Budget Impasse Leaves School Districts In Limbo Over $4 Billion In State Funding 

-- Morning Call: PA Budget Delay Prompts Bethlehem School District To Withhold Payments To Private Charter Schools

-- Morning Call: Nearly 200 Northampton County Workers Face Furloughs Due To Lack Of State Budget

-- TribLive: 125 Westmoreland County Workers Get Layoff Notices Due To State Budget Delay  

-- TribLive: Armstrong County Announces Furloughs, Program Cuts Due To State Budget Delay

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: PA Rape Crisis Center Leaders To Lawmakers On State Budget Delay: ‘We Can’t Hold Out Much Longer’

-- PA House/Senate

-- PennLive: PA House Committee Approves Gun Bills On Party-Line Votes, Republicans Opposing

-- The Center Square: Republican Rep. Fritz Floats ‘Political Intimidation’ As A Criminal Offense After Charlie Kirk Assassination 

-- Statewide Offices

-- PA State Treasurer Garrity Announces $500 Million Short-Term Loan Program For Counties, Head Start As State Budget Impasse Continues 

-- PennLive: PA State Treasurer Garrity To Open $500 Million Loan Pool For Counties, Head Start As State Budget Impasse Continues

-- Inquirer: Courts Extend Pause On PA Attorney General’s Office Cases As Cyberattack Fallout Continues

-- 2025 Elections

-- Spotlight PA: Complete Guide To PA Supreme Court Retention Candidates

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Stakes Too High Region-Wide To Skip Municipal Elections 

-- Spotlight PA: What A National Democratic Group, The ACLU, PA’s Richest Person Are Now Spending On PA Supreme Court Judicial Retention

-- The Center Square: National Democrats Spending Big On PA Supreme Court Races

-- Inquirer: $7 Million Has Poured Into PA Supreme Court Retention Election So Far

-- WITF: PA Democrats Decry Jeffrey Yass Spending In Judicial Races, Compare Him To Elon Musk

-- Inquirer: Jeffrey Yass-Backed Mailer Suggests PA Supreme Court Created The Congressional District Map It Actually Threw Out 

-- PennLive - John Baer: PA Supreme Court Retention Elections Are Very Different This Year

-- Elections

-- TribLive: PA Supreme Court: Washington County Must Notify Mail-In Voters Their Ballots Have Errors And Give Them A Chance To Vote Provisionally 

-- Spotlight PA: Thousands Of Mail-In Ballots Rejected Because Of PA’s Disputed Date Rule, Will Courts Finally Settle The Issue?

-- TribLive: President’s Justice Dept. Sues PA Over Failure To Release Personal Voter Information 

-- AP: President’s Justice Dept. Sues PA, 5 Other States To Turn Over Personal Voter Data 

-- TribLive: Gov. Tom Corbett, Retired Federal Judge Robert Cindrich: Attacking Judiciary Poses Danger And Threat To Democracy

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Tariffs

-- Bloomberg: President Proposes Using Tariff Money On Farm And Other Products To Bailout US Agricultural Sector Hit Hard By His Trade Policies

-- PennLive: Voters Loyal To President, PA Farmers Face Chilling Impact Of Immigration Raids On Their Workforce

-- AP: President Puts Import Taxes On Prescription Drugs Raising Costs For Seniors In US

-- Morning Call: President Puts Tariffs On Heavy Trucks, Citing Need To Protect Mack Trucks

-- TribLive Editorial: The Economy Is Flashing Red For Many American Consumers

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- PennLive: Voters Loyal To President, PA Farmers Face Chilling Impact Of Immigration Raids On Their Workforce

-- Bloomberg: President Proposes Using Tariff Money On Farm And Other Products To Bailout US Agricultural Sector Hit Hard By His Trade Policies

-- TribLive: Bracing For The Worst: Allegheny County Agencies, Nonprofits Fear Further Federal Cuts

-- WHYY: PA Disability Advocates, Long-Term Care Facilities Bracing For Impacts Of Pending Federal Medicaid Cuts

-- WHYY: PA Elected Officials Warn Proposed Federal Cuts Could Be ‘Devastating’ For Social Services

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Wants In On Federal Legal Battle To Protect Food Stamp Data For 2 Million PA Recipients

-- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: Nearly 600 Groups Write Congress Urging A Strong And Fair Farm Bill, Address Harmful Provisions Enacted In The ‘Big Beautiful’ Budget Bill [Includes PASA Sustainable Agriculture, More PA Groups]

-- Inquirer: Montgomery County Community College Lost Federal Grant For First-Generation, Low-Income Students, Other Schools Worry They’ll Be Next

-- City & State PA: Philadelphia Pushes Back Against President Scrubbing Slavery From National Park Signs

-- TribLive: PA Health Access Network, State Officials Call On Feds To Preserve Tax Credits That Lower Health Insurance Costs

-- Shapiro Administration Releases Clear, Evidence-Based Guidance To Protect Vaccine Access And Personal Freedom After Federal Panel Sows Confusion

-- WESA: Shapiro Directs PA Health Insurers To Disregard New Recommendations From CDC Vaccine Panel 

-- TribLive: Complaint Filed With PA Human Relations Commission Against UPMC Children’s For Denying Transgender Youths Gender-Affirming Care

-- PennLive: Parents Of Transgender Children Fear UPMC Will Hand Medical Records To President’s Justice Department 

-- PennLive: PA Legislative Autism Caucus Chair Seeks To Convene Hearings To Examine Causes

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Autistic Lawmakers: ‘To Weaponize Autism Research For Political Purposes Is Inappropriate And Offensive’ [President’s Unsupported Announcement Linking Tylenol To Autism]

-- Post-Gazette: ‘A Lot Of Eye Rolling Going On’: Parents Of Kids With Autism Sort Through New Federal Recommendations

-- Scranton Times: President’s Claims About Tylenol And Autism Alarm NE PA Autism Advocacy Groups Who Call Them ‘Unsubstantiated,’ ‘Unscientific Speculation’ 

-- AP: President Promotes Unproven Ties Between Tylenol, Vaccines And Autism Without New Evidence

-- Inquirer: President’s Claim Tylenol And Autism Are Linked Is Wrong, Drexel Scientist Says

-- Financial Times: President’s Immigration Crackdown Reaches Bethlehem, PA: ‘Everyone’s At Risk’ 

-- PA Capital-Star: Philadelphia DA Talks National Guard, Federal ICE, President During Town Hall Public Meetings 

-- Erie Times: Former Millcreek Erie County School Superintendent Ian Roberts Arrested By ICE In Iowa Where He Is Serving As Superintendent Of Des Moines Public Schools

-- TribLive Editorial: Federal ICE Must Leave US Citizens Alone

-- New Federal Administration

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: America’s Choice - The Way Of Hatred Versus The Way Of Grace 

-- TribLive: President’s Justice Dept. Sues PA Over Failure To Release Personal Voter Information 

-- AP: President’s Justice Dept. Sues PA, 5 Other States To Turn Over Personal Voter Data 

-- TribLive: Gov. Tom Corbett, Retired Federal Judge Robert Cindrich: Attacking Judiciary Poses Danger And Threat To Democracy

-- The Guardian: President’s Comments At Charlie Kirk Memorial: ‘He did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them.’ ‘That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponents, and I don’t want the best for them, I’m sorry.’

-- The Center Square: Republican Rep. Fritz Floats ‘Political Intimidation’ As A Criminal Offense After Charlie Kirk Assassination 

-- AP: President Swings By Ryder Cup Soaking Up Fans’ Love After Vowing Revenge On More Of His Enemies 

-- Post-Gazette/AP: President Escalates Retribution Campaign With Charges Against Comey, Threats Against Liberal Groups 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Leader/AP: President Escalates Retribution Campaign

-- Inquirer Editorial: President’s Push For Political Prosecutions Upends A Cornerstone Of American Democracy

-- TribLive/Reuters: Ex-FBI Chief James Comey Criminally Charged As President Targets Critics

-- AP: President Signs Order To Crack Down On ‘Left-Wing Terrorism,’ Naming 2 Top Democratic Party Donors George Soros, Reid Hoffman As Possible Targets 

-- ReligionNews.com: These Christian Music Performers Supported The Charlie Kirk Memorial - Brandon Lake, Chris Tomlin, Phil Wickham, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe Carnes, Michael W. Smith, Matthew West 

-- AP: Black Church Leaders Reject Charlie Kirk Martyrdom And Point To His Race Rhetoric

-- TribLive Letter: Did We Really Vote For This? By Karla Thomas, Westmoreland County

-- TribLive Letter: MAGA Has Abandoned Conservative Creed - By Bill Werts Jr., Allegheny County 

-- Morning Call Guest Essay: Freedom Of Speech, Not Violence, Is The American Way To Disagree - By Bill White  [PDF of Article] 

-- PennLive Guest Essay: President’s War On Dissent Leaves America Vulnerable Abroad - By Mark Singel

-- AP: President’s Moves To Tighten Power, Punish Enemies Draw Comparisons To Places Where Democracy Faded

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: America’s Choice - The Way Of Hatred Versus The Way Of Grace 

-- The Center Square: Republican Rep. Fritz Floats ‘Political Intimidation’ As A Criminal Offense After Charlie Kirk Assassination 

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- AAA Gasoline: National- $3.13   Ohio- $2.88   PA- $3.28

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs - 18 - Same As Last 9 Weeks

-- Gov. Shapiro: PJM Electric Grid Operator Is 'Not Working Anymore,' 'I Won't Stand For A Status Quo That Perpetuates Slowdowns And Rising Costs’  [PaEN]

-- Shapiro Administration: PJM Regional Electric Grid Operator Passed Over Qualified Candidates Suggested By A Bipartisan Coalition Of Governors To Fill Vacant Board Seats  [PaEN]  

-- Utility Dive: PJM Grid Operator Says States Must Address Electricity Generation Deficit Issues; Siting, Permit Reform Needed To Overcome ‘Hostile’ Opposition 

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week -  September 29  [PaEN]

-- Inside Climate News: Shale Gas Was Supposed To Lower PA Electric Bills, Instead They’re Higher Than Ever And About To Get Worse [Due To LNG Gas Exports, A.I. Data Center Demand] 

-- SpotlightPA/Inside Climate News: The Natural Gas Boom In PA Was Supposed To Lower Energy Bills Here, Why Didn’t That Happen?

-- PA Capital-Star/Inside Climate News: Shale Gas Was Supposed To Lower Pennsylvanians’ Electric Bills, Instead, They’re About To Get Worse

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: PJM Grid Operator Eyes Reliability Amid A.I. Data Center Boom, But Advocates Say Cost Concerns Remain

-- Inside Climate News: Natural Gas Was Pitched As A Stopgap Between Other Fossil Fuels And Renewables, Instead It Has Derailed Pennsylvania’s Transition To Clean Energy

-- Reuters Commentary: US LNG Gas Export Industry Build Out Poised To Create ‘Huge Global Supply Glut’

-- Financial Times: US Shale Drilling Bosses Decry ‘Chaos’ In President’s Administration’s Energy Policy In Dallas Fed Energy Survey 

-- Reuters: Oil/Gas Execs Dour In Dallas Fed Energy Survey: ‘Right Now We Are Bleeding’

-- Flooding

-- Scranton Times: Heavy Rain Causes Flooding In Scranton

-- Delaware Currents: Summer Flooding In Delaware River Watershed To Increase In Size, Frequency, Study Finds 

-- Horn Farm Center For Agricultural Education Urges Opposition To Warehouse Development On Neighboring Property In Hellam Twp. York County 

-- York Dispatch: Warehouse Proposal Near Horn Farm Center Draws Opposition In Hellam Township

-- York Dispatch: Dover Township To Hold Special Meeting Sept. 29 On 200-Acre Mega Warehouse Complex

-- Morning Call: Hanover Township Residents Deserve Better Than Warehouses And Broken Promises - By Monica Beaky, Hanover Twp. Residents Against Warehouse Development

-- Post-Gazette/WPost: National Weather Service At ‘Breaking Point’ As Storm Approaches

-- Train Derailments

-- TribLive: Oct. 4 Concert Will Help Support Those Affected By 2023 Norfolk Southern Train Derailment 

-- US Steel Clairton Coke [Coal] Works Explosion

-- TribLive: US Steel Says It Will Invest $100 Million In Braddock Steel Works [Does Not Include Clairton Coke [Coal] Works, Site Of Deadly Explosion]

-- TribLive: $100 Million Recycling Facility To Replace ‘Primitive’ Slag Pits At US Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant In Pittsburgh 

-- A.I. /Data Centers

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week -  September 29  [PaEN]

-- Education

-- Morning Call: PA Budget Delay Prompts Bethlehem School District To Withhold Payments To Private Charter Schools

-- TribLive: State Budget Impasse Leaves School Districts In Limbo Over $4 Billion In State Funding 

-- WPXI: A.I. Photo Of Fire At Norwin High School Circulated On Social Media Friday Prompts Panic In Westmoreland County 

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania School Facilities Continue To Pose Health Risks And Are Obstacles To Learning

-- TribLive: Carrick High School Student Stabs 3 Schoolmates In Pittsburgh, Police Say

-- TribLive: Mother Of Carrick High School Stabbing Suspect Says Son Received Threats On Social Media 

-- Shapiro Administration Releases Clear, Evidence-Based Guidance To Protect Vaccine Access And Personal Freedom After Federal Panel Sows Confusion

-- WESA: Shapiro Directs PA Health Insurers To Disregard New Recommendations From CDC Vaccine Panel 

-- Inquirer: Montgomery County Community College Lost Federal Grant For First-Generation, Low-Income Students, Other Schools Worry They’ll Be Next

-- Post-Gazette: Penn State Aimed To Curb Hazing Culture After Timothy Piazza’s Death; Some Question Whether It’s Led To Change

-- PennLive: PA College Conservatives Galvanized By Kirk Killing: ‘We Solve Issues With Ballot, Not Bullets’

-- Post-Gazette: Young Republican Voters In Pittsburgh Area ‘Galvanized’ After Charlie Kirk’s Death  

-- TribLive: PennWest, IUP Partner With Google To Expand A.I. Training

-- Health Care

-- TribLive: PA Health Access Network, State Officials Call On Feds To Preserve Tax Credits That Lower Health Insurance Costs

-- AP: President Puts Import Taxes On Prescription Drugs Raising Costs For Seniors In US

-- Shapiro Administration Releases Clear, Evidence-Based Guidance To Protect Vaccine Access And Personal Freedom After Federal Panel Sows Confusion

-- WESA: Shapiro Directs PA Health Insurers To Disregard New Recommendations From CDC Vaccine Panel 

-- TribLive: Complaint Filed With PA Human Relations Commission Against UPMC Children’s For Denying Transgender Youths Gender-Affirming Care

-- TribLive: PA Transgender Patients Fight President’s Justice Dept. Subpoena Seeking Their UPMC Records 

-- PennLive: Parents Of Transgender Children Fear UPMC Will Hand Medical Records To President’s Justice Department 

-- PennLive: PA Legislative Autism Caucus Chair Seeks To Convene Hearings To Examine Causes

-- PA Capital-Star: PA Autistic Lawmakers: ‘To Weaponize Autism Research For Political Purposes Is Inappropriate And Offensive’ [President’s Unsupported Announcement Linking Tylenol To Autism]

-- Post-Gazette: ‘A Lot Of Eye Rolling Going On’: Parents Of Kids With Autism Sort Through New Federal Recommendations

-- Scranton Times: President’s Claims About Tylenol And Autism Alarm NE PA Autism Advocacy Groups Who Call Them ‘Unsubstantiated,’ ‘Unscientific Speculation’ 

-- AP: President Promotes Unproven Ties Between Tylenol, Vaccines And Autism Without New Evidence

-- Inquirer: President’s Claim Tylenol And Autism Are Linked Is Wrong, Drexel Scientist Says

-- Law Enforcement

-- Inquirer: Courts Extend Pause On PA Attorney General’s Office Cases As Cyberattack Fallout Continues

-- PennLive: PA House Committee Approves Gun Bills On Party-Line Votes, Republicans Opposing

-- PennLive Guest Essay: York County Police Killings Shows Why ‘A Good Guy With A Gun’ Isn’t Enough - By Joe McHugh, Center for Gun Violence Solutions

-- Financial Times: President’s Immigration Crackdown Reaches Bethlehem, PA: ‘Everyone’s At Risk’ 

-- PA Capital-Star: Philadelphia DA Talks National Guard, Federal ICE, President During Town Hall Public Meetings 

-- TribLive Editorial: Federal ICE Must Leave US Citizens Alone

-- The Economy

-- Inquirer/WHYY: New Report Shows ‘Astounding’ Positive Economic Impact Of Immigration On The Philadelphia Region 

-- Inquirer: SPS Plans To Build Smaller Factory With More Robots, Fewer Jobs At Its Burned Montgomery County Facility

-- AP: President Puts Import Taxes On Prescription Drugs Raising Costs For Seniors In US

-- Bloomberg: President Proposes Using Tariff Money On Farm And Other Products To Bailout US Agricultural Sector Hit Hard By His Trade Policies

-- Morning Call: President Puts Tariffs On Heavy Trucks, Citing Need To Protect Mack Trucks

-- TribLive Editorial: The Economy Is Flashing Red For Many American Consumers

-- TribLive: US Steel Says It Will Invest $100 Million In Braddock Steel Works [Does Not Include Clairton Coke [Coal] Works, Site Of Deadly Explosion]

-- TribLive: $100 Million Recycling Facility To Replace ‘Primitive’ Slag Pits At US Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant In Pittsburgh 

[Posted: September 28, 2025]