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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Politics PA: Shapiro Defends Response To Legislative Secretary’s Sexual Harassment Allegations 

-- Inquirer: Gov. Shapiro Met Privately With Female PA Senators As Questions Swirl About Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Former Legislative Secretary

-- Post-Gazette Column: Amid Sexual Harassment Scandal, The Myth Of Josh Shapiro Collapses

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Shapiro Must Model Accountability He Demanded From Others In Sexual Harassment Scandal

-- AP: Gov. Shapiro’s Voter Registration Change Draws Ex-President’s Ire In Echo Of 2020 Election Clashes 

-- Spotlight PA: Automatic Voter Registration In PA Draws Republican Lawsuit Threats, But Little Action

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Republican Sen. Dush Finds Automatic Voter Registration System 'Disconcerting’ Misuse Of Power During Test Run

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Automatic Voter Registration Will Lead To Foreign Nationals Getting On Voter Rolls

-- AP: PA’s Democratic Governor, A Rising Political Star, Crosses Partisan Private School Choice Divide

-- Warren Times Editorial: Shapiro Keeping Spirits High In Pennsylvania

-- Warren Times Editorial: Shapiro’s Surprising Popularity

-- Budget 2023

-- WITF: PA House, In Contentious Session, Moves State Budget Forward

-- AP: House Passes Legislation To Complete Overdue Budget, Decisions Now Lie With Senate

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Republican Resistance Or Democrat Gamesmanship?  House Leaders Weigh In On Week’s Work

-- Spotlight PA: What This Year’s Budget Means For PA’s Shrinking Rural Communities

-- PA Capital-Star: Democratic Changes To PA Budget Bill That Boost Tax Cuts, Film Credits Anger House Republicans

-- City & State PA: 8 Things To Know About The New House-Passed Tax Code Bill

-- Inquirer: PA House Hasn’t Addressed More Than $1 Billion In Unfinished State Budget Work

-- PennLive: PA House Passes Wide-Ranging Tax Code Bill;  Corporate Tax Cuts, Low-Income Worker Benefits

-- The Center Square: Math Behind State’s Rainy Day Fund Deposit In Dispute

-- PA Senate Republicans Decry Shapiro’s Attempt To Prevent Full Rainy Day Fund Budget Transfer

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports September Collections Down $140.2 Million, 3.3% Below Their Estimates; Fiscal Year Down 1.7%

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports September State Revenue Collections $163.6 Million, 3.9% Below IFO Estimates; Fiscal Year Down 1% 

-- PA House/Senate

-- PA Capital-Star: New Rep. Lindsay Powell Sworn In Giving PA Democrats One-Vote House Majority

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Senate Republican Leader Questions Shapiro Administration’s Handling Of ‘Appalling’ Allegations Against Former Cabinet Member

-- TribLive: Sen. Ward Rips Shapiro Over Handling Of Sexual Harassment Complaint Against Former Top Aide

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Women In PA Senate Say Shapiro Needs To Address Harassment Allegations Against Former Legislative Secretary

-- Inquirer: Gov. Shapiro Met Privately With Female PA Senators As Questions Swirl About Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Former Legislative Secretary

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Shapiro Must Model Accountability He Demanded From Others In Sexual Harassment Scandal

-- TribLive Editorial: Shapiro Missed Chance To Meet Higher Standard On Sexual Harassment

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Tensions Flare Over “Skill” Gambling Games Regulation

-- Sen. Yaw Defends ‘Skill’ Gambling Games In Taverns, Clubs, Stores Against ‘Greedy Casino Moguls’  

-- Senator Yaw Guest Essay: David vs. Goliath - ‘Skill’ Gambling Games vs. Casinos

-- Inquirer Column: PA’s Legislature Is Big And That’s Beautiful

-- US Senate/House

-- Post-Gazette: Inside A Tangled Web Of PA Business And Big Campaign Cash That Funnels Money To PA Republicans

-- Quinnipiac University PA Poll: Casey Leads McCormick 54% - 44%; Ex-President Leads Republican Primary Pack

-- Post-Gazette: Poll: Casey Leads McCormick In PA US Senate Race; Ex-President, Biden Tied

-- TribLive/PennLive: Sen. Casey’s Campaign Touts Strong Start To 2024 Fundraising

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Republican PA Cong. Scott Perry Already Drawing Democratic Primary Crowd

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Former WGAL News  Anchor Janelle Stelson Launches Bid For Democratic Nomination To Oppose Republican Cong. Scott Perry

-- TribLive: Member Of Congress Summer Lee Attracts Democratic Challenger

-- November 2023 Election

-- AP: Attack Ads, Millions Of Dollars Flow Into Race For PA Supreme Court

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso, Kate Huangpu: One Man’s Spending Is Dominating PA Judicial Races Supporting Republican Candidate For PA Supreme Court, Who Is He, Why Is This Election Important?

-- PA Capital-Star: Democrats Making Six-Figure Investment In PA Supreme Court Race

-- City & State PA: Working Families Party Endorses Democrat McCaffery In PA Supreme Court Race

-- Election Reforms

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso, Carter Walker: Expanded Voter ID Requirements Back On The Table In PA

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Republican Sen. Dush Finds Automatic Voter Registration System 'Disconcerting’ Misuse Of Power During Test Run

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso, Carter Walker: House OKs Bill To Move Primary, But Rejects Voter ID Expansion, Other Election Reforms

-- AP: PA House Passes Bill To Move Up Presidential Primary, But It Conflicts With Senate

-- AP: PA House Proposes April 2 Presidential Primary, 2 Weeks Later Than PA Senate Wants

-- Warren Times Editorial: Move Up Presidential Primary Election In PA

-- National Politics

-- AP: Gov. Shapiro’s Voter Registration Change Draws Ex-President’s Ire In Echo Of 2020 Election Clashes 

-- AP: Voter Rolls Becoming New Battleground Over Secure Elections As Amateur Sleuths Hunt Fraud

-- PennLive Guest Essay: The Chaos Congressional Republicans Have Brought To Congress Is Not Good For America - By Mark Singel

-- Post-Gazette - Salena Zito: No One Expects Them To Vote For Ex-President, But They Will

-- PA Capital-Star: Biden Campaign Launches New Ad Focused On Scranton Roots

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: The Politics Of Destruction [Congressional House Republicans]

-- TribLive Editorial: Federal Government Shutdown Not Avoided, Just Punted

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- AP: Federal Prosecutors Reveal A Reason For Secretive Sentencing Of Lancaster County Man For Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol - His Government Cooperation

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Mercer County Man Gets 2 Years In Federal Prison For Threatening To Murder FBI Agents Over Search Of Ex-President’s Home

-- Erie Times: Lawsuit: Cybersecurity Firm Was Instructed By Attorney For Fulton County, PA To Lie About 2020 PA Voting Machine Hacks

-- PennLive: 18 People From Central PA Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol: Why They Are, Where Their Cases Stand

-- Centre Daily Times: Antisemitic Messages Distributed In State College Draw Rebuke From Community Members

-- Flooding

-- US Small Business Administration To Provide Low-Interest Disaster Loans To Businesses, Homeowners As A Result Of July Flooding In Northampton County  [PaEN]

-- Scranton Times: Scranton To Provide Individual Assistance To Flood Victims With Federal American Rescue Funds

-- WNEP: Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency Urging Anyone With Flood Damage From September Storm To Report It

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA- $3.83; National- $3.72; Ohio- $3.30

-- Baker Hughes PA Natural Gas Drill Rigs Same As Last Week - 20

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Chesapeake Energy Wants To Ship 20% Of Production Overseas

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Retreat As Tepid Demand Counters Weather Risks

-- Bloomberg: Europe’s November Natural Gas Contract Prices Plummet As Demand Collapses; Egypt To Resume LNG Exports 

-- Reuters: US LNG Natural Gas Exports Slump In September As Plant Outages Pare Output 

-- Bloomberg: Ireland Denies LNG Natural Gas Port Despite Energy Security Concerns

-- Reuters: Higher Stocks To Pressure US Natural Gas Prices [Downward] With Sufficient Storage, Slightly Higher Production [Natural Gas Supply Assn.]

-- Reuters: Oil Could Hit $100/Barrel As OPEC+ Sticks With Supply Cuts 

-- Financial Times: Oil Plunges $5 In Biggest One-Day Drop In Over A Year Due To Demand Worries 

-- Reuters: ExxonMobil 3Q Profits To Climb From Last Quarter On Higher Prices

-- Financial Times: US Shale Oil Bosses Vow To Hold Back Drilling Despite Rising Oil Price

-- Train Derailment-Related Issues

-- WFMJ: EPA: Final Analysis Shows Normal Dioxin Levels At Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Area In Ohio

-- WESA: Eight Months After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment, Some Residents Wonder If They’ll Ever Go Home

-- PA/Harrisburg Political Potpourri

-- Inquirer: PA Republicans Have An Early, Nasty Fight In 2024 Primary For State Attorney General

-- PennLive - John Baer: If I Had An Advice Column For Politicians - ‘Bear With Me’

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: PA Republicans Need Better Candidates - By Matthew Brouillette

-- Play PA: PA Video Gaming Terminals Request Expansion During PA Senate Hearing

-- Inquirer: When Will Recreational Weed Be Legal In PA?  The Outlook Is Hazy

-- Health Care

-- WESA: Nursing Homes In PA Prepare For A Season Of COVID, Flu And RSV

-- City & State PA: Overdose Deaths Among Black Philadelphians Rose By Nearly 20% In 2022

-- WHYY: Drexel Study Finds Link Between Structural Racism And Higher Premature Mortality Rates

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: Competition Boosts Health Care Quality In PA

-- AP: Penn Scientist Part Of Team To Win Nobel Prize In Medicine For Work That Enabled mRNA Vaccines Against COVID

-- Wall Street Journal: After Shunning Scientist, University Of Pennsylvania Celebrates Her Nobel Prize

-- WPost: How Red-State Politics Are Shaving Years Off American Lives

-- Education

-- LancasterOnline: Republican Lawmakers In Lancaster County Push For Parental Consent Over School Materials

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: Advocates Against Book Bans Bring Tour Through Pittsburgh

-- Inquirer Editorial: Book Bans Have No Place In A Free Society

-- TribLive: Police: 3 Students Caught Exchanging Handguns, Prompting Lockdown At Westmoreland County High School

-- TribLive Editorial: Sadly, Vigilance In Schools Is Still Needed In Wake Of Recent Gun-Related Incidents

-- AP: Man Arrested In Peru To Face Charges Over Hoax Bomb Threats To US Schools, Synagogues, Airports [Including PA]

-- TribLive: State Court Says State-Owned Universities Violated Faculty Contract By Cutting Positions Without Discussing Beforehand

-- TribLive: Penn State Suspends Fraternity Over Alleged Hazing Incident

-- AP: Penn Scientist Part Of Team To Win Nobel Prize In Medicine For Work That Enabled mRNA Vaccines Against COVID

-- Wall Street Journal: After Shunning Scientist, University Of Pennsylvania Celebrates Her Nobel Prize

-- Law Enforcement

-- AP: PA Inmates Sue Over ‘Tortuous Conditions’ Of Solitary Confinement

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Solitary Confinement Has No Place In PA Prisons, Or Anywhere

-- TribLive Editorial: Why Are There So Many Death Penalty Cases In Washington County?

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Keeping Youth Safe From (And In) The Juvenile Justice System - By Senators Bartolotta, Williams, Reps. Mihalek, Shusterman

-- MCall Guest Essay: PA Doesn’t Let Me Get A Driver’s License Because I’m Undocumented - That Makes Everyone Less Safe - [Name Withheld]

-- The Economy

-- Center For Rural Pennsylvania: Rural Population To Shrink 5.8%; Fewer Young People, More Older People; Current Policies Failed To Sustain Communities, Ensure Long-Term Rural Resiliency  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette: Study: Westmoreland County Will Lead Population Decline In Western PA, While Others Will Boom

-- TribLive: At 16%, Westmoreland County Tops Local Population Loss Estimates  

-- PA Capital-Star: Population Projections Highlight Need For Long-Term Solutions To Sustain Rural PA Communities; Population Expected To Shrink By 5.8% 

-- Spotlight PA: What This Year’s Budget Means For PA’s Shrinking Rural Communities

-- Citizens Voice: Manufacturers Bullish On Industry’s Future In NE PA

-- AP: Fed’s Powell Gets An Earful About Inflation, Interest Rates From Small Businesses In York

-- Inquirer: Meet The 10 Pennsylvanians Who Made Forbes’ List Of 400 Richest Americans

Other

-- PennLive Editorial: 2023 Peace & Justice Awards Honor People, Organizations Working For Civil Rights & Equality In PA

[Posted: October 8, 2023]