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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Gov. Shapiro Secures $1.2 Billion Investment From Chobani To Establish Its First Dairy Operation In PA, Largest Single Investment In PA Agriculture

-- WHYY: Chobani Yogurt To Invest $1.2 Billion In PA, Bringing Hundreds Of Jobs To Lehigh Valley

-- City & State PA: Milk From Oats [Chobani] And Affordable Coats [Burlington]: PA Lands 2 Major Corporations In 3 Days

-- CNBC: PA Gov. Shapiro Says Too Many A.I. Data Center Developers ‘Don’t Care About Our Communities’

-- Race For Governor

-- Inquirer: Affordability Takes Center Stage As Shapiro And Garrity Craft Their Economic Pitch For PA Voters

-- TribLive/PennLive: Gov. Shapiro Agrees To Gubernatorial Campaign Debate With Challenger Garrity 

-- The Center Square: Shapiro And Garrity Agree To Debate On Oct. 7

-- Budget 2027

-- WITF: PA School Districts Face Rising Special Education Costs As Funding Falls Behind

-- Dept. of Revenue Reports August State Tax Revenues 0.7% ($21.6 Million) Less Than Anticipated; Year-To-Date Collections 0.3% ($21.5 Million) Below Estimates

-- Independent Fiscal Office: August State Revenues Below IFO Estimates by $22 Million (0.7%); Year-To-Date Revenues Exceed IFO Estimates By $67 Million (1.1%)

-- US House/Senate

-- Wall Street Journal: Behind Closed Doors, PA US Sen. John Fetterman Shows Little Interest In The Work Of A Senator 

-- Post-Gazette/PennLive: PA Democrats Blast Fetterman As A ‘Disgrace’ And ‘Pathetic’ Following Scathing Report In Wall Street Journal

-- Inquirer: PA US Sen. Fetterman Backs President On A.I. Data Centers, Blames China For ‘Misinformation” On A.I. 

-- Bloomberg: President Says ‘Let Data [Centers] Reign’ In Response To A.I. Data Center Blowback [Communities Not Wanting Data Centers ‘Want To End Up Being Backwards And Poor’] 

-- Morning Call: Congressional Candidate Launches Latino Outreach Initiative Targeting Key Voting Bloc In Lehigh Valley 

-- 2026 Elections

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Luzerne County Council Members Want More Ballot Drop Boxes, Worry About Postal Service Delivery

-- PennLive Guest Essay: President Is Using The US Postal Service To Steal Votes - By Mark Singel

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Let’s Make Sure PA Republicans Are In The Game: Make A Plan To Vote Early By Voting By Mail And On-Demand Voting - By Sen. Greg Rothman, Chair, PA State Republican Party

-- AP: Postal Service Asks US Supreme Court To Let It Intercept And Prevent Delivery Of Mail-In Ballots In States That Do Not Comply With President’s Mail-In Ballot Executive Order 

-- AP: Midterm Election Mail-In Ballots Start To Go To Voters As Litigation Over President’s Mail-In Ballot Order Creates Uncertainty  

-- PA Capital-Star: Postal Service Whistleblower Predicts ‘Catastrophic’ Impact On Elections Of President’s Order To Keep The Postal Service From Delivering Mail-In Ballots In States That Don’t Comply

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Proceeds With Election Plans Amid Federal Mail-In Ballot Fight

-- 2020/2024 Election

-- PA Capital-Star: US Dept. Of Justice Charges 5 In PA (3), Wisconsin, NJ With Crimes Related To Noncitizen Voting 

-- Elections

-- The Citizens’ Voice: Luzerne County Council Members Want More Ballot Drop Boxes, Worry About Postal Service Delivery

-- PennLive Guest Essay: President Is Using The US Postal Service To Steal Votes - By Mark Singel

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Let’s Make Sure PA Republicans Are In The Game: Make A Plan To Vote Early By Voting By Mail And On-Demand Voting - By Sen. Greg Rothman, Chair, PA State Republican Party

-- AP: Postal Service Asks US Supreme Court To Let It Intercept And Prevent Delivery Of Mail-In Ballots In States That Do Not Comply With President’s Mail-In Ballot Executive Order 

-- AP: Midterm Election Mail-In Ballots Start To Go To Voters As Litigation Over President’s Mail-In Ballot Order Creates Uncertainty  

-- PA Capital-Star: Postal Service Whistleblower Predicts ‘Catastrophic’ Impact On Elections Of President’s Order To Keep The Postal Service From Delivering Mail-In Ballots In States That Don’t Comply

-- National Elections

-- NPR: Pennsylvania Swing Voters Say President Hasn’t Delivered On Promise To Lower Prices

-- TribLive Guest Essay: PA MAGA Country Doesn’t Want President’s A.I. Data Center ‘Golden Goose’ - By Oliver Bateman, Pittsburgh Historian

-- Wall Street Journal Guest Essay: President Sticks With A Losing Midterm Election Strategy For Republicans - Touting His Record, Making It About Him - By Karl Rove, Republican Political Consultant 

-- President’s War On Iran

-- September 6: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Same As Yesterday $4.30/Gallon - $1.19/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Beaver & Pike Counties Average Price Highest at $4.37]

-- September 6: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.14  Ohio- $3.92  PA- $4.30

-- Feb. 27: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $2.98  Ohio- $2.79  PA- $3.11

-- WNEP: Sheetz Offering Discounts Of Up To 40 Cents/Gallon For Gasoline Thru Sheetz App 

-- Scranton Times/ReadingEagle: Record Labor Day Gasoline Prices Expected At Pump 

-- Inside Climate News: Farmers Are Going Broke Amid Rising Fuel Prices

-- AP: US Diesel Prices Hit A Record High Of $5.85 On Average As President’s War With Iran Disrupts Flow Of Fuel  

-- AOL.com: Vice President Tells Americans To Stop Complaining About Gasoline Prices 

-- The New Republic: Vice President Says You Should Be Grateful Gasoline Prices Aren’t Even Higher

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Tariffs/Trade

-- Scranton Times: Local Firms Brace For Impact Of US/Canada Tariff Feud

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- PA Capital-Star: Postal Service Whistleblower Predicts ‘Catastrophic’ Impact On Elections Of President’s Order To Keep The Postal Service From Delivering Mail-In Ballots In States That Don’t Comply

-- Williamsport Sun: ‘Get Vaccinated,’ Geisinger Health Expert Advises In Wake Of Unprecedented Measles Surge 

-- WVIA: PA Health Insurers Propose Rate Hikes As Pennsylvanians Grapple With Rising Costs Due To Expired Federal Subsidies 

-- Spotlight PA: New Medicaid Rules Will Likely Shed Patients Under New Rules; Guthrie Health System Is Working To Keep Them Covered

-- WHYY: PA Begins Notifying Over 700,000 Medicaid Enrollees About New Federal Work Requirements

-- PennLive: Federal ICE Is Going Mobile: Here’s How Vans Could Become Detention Centers In PA

-- New Federal Administration

-- TribLive/AP: White House Uses Knock-Offs Of 5 Retro Video Games To Promote President’s Agenda 

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- Spotlight PA: PA Election Results, Shapiro’s Speeches, And State Laws Are All Prediction Market Bets - Could This Lead To Corruption?  

-- Spotlight PA: Dozens Of Former PA Lawmakers Now Registered To Lobby Their Old Workplace

-- A.I. /Data Centers

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - September 7  [PaEN] 

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Energy Bills Driven By A.I. Data Centers Threaten PA Small Businesses, Report Says

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh-based Energy Storage Maker Eos Energy Partners With Google On West Virginia Solar Project

-- PA Public Utility Commission Forecasts Data Center-Driven Industrial Electricity Use In Pennsylvania Will Increase 18.56% A Year Thru 2030; Up From 0.22% Annually In 2024  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection Extends Hot Weather Alert To Sept. 4; Order Still In Place To Require Data Centers, Large Loads  To Go To Backup Generation, If Needed  [PaEN]

-- PennLive: Some PA Lawmakers Regret $1.8 Billion State Tax Break For A.I. Data Centers - So Why Won’t They Kill It?

-- The Center Square: Nearly Half Of Pennsylvania’s ‘Fast Track’ A.I. Data Center Municipalities Signed Nondisclosure Agreements

-- New York Times: Pennsylvania A.I. Gold Rush Meets 2nd Thoughts; Amid Backlash Gov. Shapiro Is Pumping The Brakes On Enormous Data Centers; But Some Welcome Billions In Construction  

-- Financial Times - Bethlehem, PA Project: Pennsylvania Voters Unite Against A.I. Data Centers: ‘People Are Going To Get Screwed’    [PDF of Article] 

-- CNBC: PA Gov. Shapiro Says Too Many A.I. Data Center Developers ‘Don’t Care About Our Communities’

-- Inquirer: PA US Sen. Fetterman Backs President On A.I. Data Centers, Blames China For ‘Misinformation” On A.I. 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: PA MAGA Country Doesn’t Want President’s A.I. Data Center ‘Golden Goose’ - By Oliver Bateman, Pittsburgh Historian

-- Bloomberg: President Says ‘Let Data [Centers] Reign’ In Response To A.I. Data Center Blowback [Communities Not Wanting Data Centers ‘Want To End Up Being Backwards And Poor’] 

-- PennLive Letter: Research Shows Pennsylvania Needs To Diversify Its Electricity Generation Mix - David Gahl, Solar & Energy Storage Industries Institute 

-- PennLive/Tribune News: Massive 7,200 Acre PPL Utilities Joint Venture Land Deal In Lackawanna County Paves Way For More Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants

-- Scranton Times: PPL Utilities Joint Venture Purchases 500 Acres In Luzerne County For 2 Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants; No Agreements Signed With Customers Yet [Not For The Public]  

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: NextEra Energy Picks 700 Acre Site In Luzerne Twp.,  Fayette County For 3.75 GW Natural Gas Data Center Power Plant Complex  [Entire Township Over Known Mined Out Coal Mines Subject To Subsidence Risk (DEP)]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: NextEra’s $13 Billion Natural Gas Data Center Power Plant Complex In Luzerne Twp., Fayette County To Be A Game Changer For Region 

-- Post-Gazette: Homer City A.I. Data Center/Power Plant Complex In Indiana County Fueled By 1,800 contractors And Tradespeople

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- September 6: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Same As Yesterday $4.30/Gallon - $1.19/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Beaver & Pike Counties Average Price Highest at $4.37]

-- September 6: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.14  Ohio- $3.92  PA- $4.30

-- Feb. 27: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $2.98  Ohio- $2.79  PA- $3.11

-- WNEP: Sheetz Offering Discounts Of Up To 40 Cents/Gallon For Gasoline Thru Sheetz App 

-- Scranton Times/ReadingEagle: Record Labor Day Gasoline Prices Expected At Pump 

-- Inside Climate News: Farmers Are Going Broke Amid Rising Fuel Prices

-- AP: US Diesel Prices Hit A Record High Of $5.85 On Average As President’s War With Iran Disrupts Flow Of Fuel  

-- AOL.com: Vice President Tells Americans To Stop Complaining About Gasoline Prices 

-- The New Republic: Vice President Says You Should Be Grateful Gasoline Prices Aren’t Even Higher

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Energy Bills Driven By A.I. Data Centers Threaten PA Small Businesses, Report Says

-- Inside Climate News: Maryland Consumer Advocate Challenges PJM Backstop Power Auction Plan Says It Will Expose Customers To $562 Million In Long-Term Costs 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs - 15 - Down 1 From Last Week

-- Bloomberg: Europe Faces Costly Winter As Energy Prices Surge; Natural Gas Storage At Lowest For This Time Of Year Since 2009 Leaving Thin Winter Cushion

-- Bloomberg: Europe Heads Into Winter With Low Natural Gas Supplies

--  Financial Times: The Missing Piece Of The US Oil And Gas Boom - Jobs; Production And Profits Are Rising Strongly, Employment Has Fallen

-- Reuters: Texas’ Halt On Powering A.I. Data Centers Reflects US Reckoning Over ‘Ghost’ Power Demands And Impacts On Electricity Markets [PJM Included]

-- Flooding

-- TribLive: Storms, Flooding Pummel Western PA Downing Trees, Knocking Out Power  

-- Tribune-Democrat: Thousands Without Power As Crews Respond To Storm-Related Incidents In Cambria County

-- WNEP: Heavy Rains Flood Homes And Close Schools In Union County

-- Centre Daily Times: Centre County Commissioners Issue Emergency Declaration After Heavy Rains, Flooding

-- Erie Times: Presque Isle State Park Closure Extends To Labor Day Weekend As Massive Storm Cleanup Continues 

-- WITF: After Deadly Nepal Floods, Central PA Bhutanese And Nepali Communities Rally To Help

-- Storms/Power Outages

-- TribLive: Storms, Flooding Pummel Western PA Downing Trees, Knocking Out Power  

-- Tribune-Democrat: Thousands Without Power As Crews Respond To Storm-Related Incidents In Cambria County

-- WNEP: Heavy Rains Flood Homes And Close Schools In Union County

-- Centre Daily Times: Centre County Commissioners Issue Emergency Declaration After Heavy Rains, Flooding

-- Erie Times: Presque Isle State Park Closure Extends To Labor Day Weekend As Massive Storm Cleanup Continues 

-- Pennsylvania Power Outages: 116,616 Customers Without Power - 6:30 a.m. Sept. 4 

-- Pennsylvania Power Outages: 29,607 Customers Without Power - 10:00 a.m. Sept. 5

-- PA Capital-Star: Utility Executives, Cybersecurity Experts Warn PA Lawmakers Of Growing Threats

-- Education

-- WITF: PA School Districts Face Rising Special Education Costs As Funding Falls Behind

-- Health Care

-- Williamsport Sun: ‘Get Vaccinated,’ Geisinger Health Expert Advises In Wake Of Unprecedented Measles Surge 

-- TribLive: PA Health Department Pushes To Update Disease Tracking Rules Last Changed In 2001

-- WVIA: PA Health Insurers Propose Rate Hikes As Pennsylvanians Grapple With Rising Costs Due To Expired Federal Subsidies 

-- Spotlight PA: New Medicaid Rules Will Likely Shed Patients Under New Rules; Guthrie Health System Is Working To Keep Them Covered

-- WHYY: PA Begins Notifying Over 700,000 Medicaid Enrollees About New Federal Work Requirements

-- Law Enforcement

-- PennLive: Federal ICE Is Going Mobile: Here’s How Vans Could Become Detention Centers In PA

-- The Economy

-- Gov. Shapiro Secures $1.2 Billion Investment From Chobani To Establish Its First Dairy Operation In PA, Largest Single Investment In PA Agriculture

-- WHYY: Chobani Yogurt To Invest $1.2 Billion In PA, Bringing Hundreds Of Jobs To Lehigh Valley

-- City & State PA: Milk From Oats [Chobani] And Affordable Coats [Burlington]: PA Lands 2 Major Corporations In 3 Days

-- WESA/WHYY: Unemployment Remains Low In PA, But Job Market Shows Signs Of Weakening

[Posted: September 6, 2026