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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: PA’s Second Lady Keeps Busy With Steelers Nation, State Duties, Being A New Mom

-- Budget 2025

-- State Treasurer Transfers $737 Million To State Rainy Day Fund, Balance Now Totals $7.04 Billion

-- Independent Fiscal Office: iGaming Revenue Surge, Other Forms Of Gambling Stagnate

-- Independent Fiscal Office: Who Pays Pennsylvania Gambling Taxes?

-- Statewide Races

-- PennLive: Campaign Fundraising Tops $4 Million In PA Attorney General Race

-- Spotlight PA: PA’s Richest Person Is Pumping Millions Into Race For Attorney General

-- PA Capital-Star: Kenyatta Massively Outraises DeFoor In Race For Auditor General

-- PennLive - John Baer: Don’t Forget The State Races That Campaign 2024 Seems To Be Forgetting

-- PA House/Senate

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican Lawmakers Question Automatic Voter Registration Practices After PA Supreme Court Decision

-- WHYY: This Chester/Delaware County Race May Determine Who Controls The PA House

-- WESA: PA’s Minimum Wage Likely To Remain Frozen For Yet Another Year

-- AP: Philadelphia’s District Attorney Scores Legal Win Against Republican Impeachment Bid

-- November Election

-- TribLive: Mail-In Ballot Error Date Case Filed With PA Supreme Court

-- The Center Square - Anthony Hennen: PA Elections - No Consistency For 67 Counties

-- TribLive: Westmoreland County Says No Ballot Curing Allowed For November Election

-- AP: Commonwealth Court Rules Washington County Must Tell Voters If It Counted Their Mail-In Ballot

-- Scranton Times Editorial: Counties Need Consistency, State Resources To Run Elections

-- WESA: Breaking Down Growth Of Republican, Decline Of Democratic Voters In PA By County

-- WHYY: This Chester/Delaware County Race May Determine Who Controls The PA House

-- MCall: Morning Call/Muhlenberg College Poll Has Presidential Candidates In Dead Heat

-- Post-Gazette: Fmr Gov. Schweiker, Barletta Lead Republican Group Aiming To Restore Faith In PA Elections

-- Inquirer: These Republicans Trying To Persuade PA Republican Voters To Back Harris

-- PennLive Guest Essay: To Save Lives, I’m A Republican Doing Everything I Can To Make Sure Ex-President Is Defeated - By Fmr Cong. Jim Greenwood

-- Elections

-- PA Capital-Star: Republican Lawmakers Question Automatic Voter Registration Practices After PA Supreme Court Decision

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: PA Fair Elections Tied To Powerful Conservative Groups Behind Efforts To Remove People From Voter Rolls

-- AP: Preparing PA’s Voting Machines: What Is Logic And Accuracy Testing?

-- National Politics

-- Post-Gazette: Charleroi Educators, Students Show Unity As Community Gets Thrown Into Political Debate Over Immigration

-- Post-Gazette - Brandon McGinley: In Charleroi, Haitian Immigrants Are Succeeding Where America Has Failed 

-- TribLive Editorial: Haitians Are Latest Group To Contribute To Pennsylvania

-- AP: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy Visits PA Ammunition Plant To Thank Workers, Ask For More

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- Inquirer: Philly Proud Boy Gets Nearly 2 Months Behind Bars For Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol

-- Beaver County Times: What PA’s US Representatives, Senators Said When Asked If They’ll Accept Election Results

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- Marcellus Drilling News: EQT Gas Driller Says Natural Gas Price Spikes Coming Next Year Moving From $2 to $3 Range Up To As High As $9   [PDF of Article]   [PA Is 59% Dependent On Gas To Generate Electricity]

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs At 14, Same As Last Week - Down 33% Since Aug. 23 [Industry Efforts To Increase Natural Gas Prices Continue]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: EQT Gas To Begin Reversing Curtailed Production Starting In October  [PDF of Article]

-- Utility Dive: PJM Interconnection Market Design Flaws Added Nearly 50% To Latest Capacity Auction Electricity Costs: Market Monitor; PJM To Publish A Response 

-- Utility Dive: PJM Says ‘Concerns Are Growing’ That PJM Cleared Electric Generation Projects Are Not Being Built; Less Than 2 GW Of Capacity Added Almost All Solar; 37,000+ MW Approved

-- US DOE: China Is Biggest Destination For US LNG Gas Exports; PA Shale Gas Industry Says We Have ‘Duty’ To Export Gas To China, Our Military, Economic Competitor  [PaEN]

-- AAA Gasoline Prices:  National- $3.22   Ohio- $3.20  PA- $3.33

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Edge Higher As Traders Assess Winter Supply Outlook

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Jump 5% to 14-Week High As Hurricane Batters US Southeast

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Jump 7% On Possible Hurricane Worries In Gulf Of Mexico 

-- Reuters: About 24% Of Oil Production Shut In US Gulf Of Mexico Due To Hurricane [Again]

-- Reuters: Hurricane Threat Again Prompts US Gulf Coast Energy Facilities To Scale Back Operations 

-- Bloomberg: Top Investor In US Oil, Gas Companies Says Shale Producers No Longer In Position To Ramp Up Output To Give Consumers A Break On Energy Prices 

-- Broad + Liberty Guest Essay: Pennsylvania’s Natural Gas Resources Are A National Security Asset And New Policies Needed To Unlock The Full Capacity Of This Resource - By Jeff Bartos, Fmr Republican Candidate For Lt. Governor, US Senate [Real Story Here]

-- Three Mile Island Restart

-- WITF StateImpactPA - Rachel McDevitt: Fear, Hope Among Mixed Reactions As Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Plans To Restart

-- Energy Connects/Bloomberg: Microsoft To Pay Hefty Price For Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant ‘Clean’ Power 

-- Politico: AI Revives ‘Zombie’ Nuclear Power Plants [Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Restart]

-- Bloomberg: Constellation CEO Says US Needs To Build Data Centers Near Power Plants, Without Transmission Line Issues  [Constellation Did Three Mile Island Deal With Microsoft]

-- PennLive Letter: Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Should Not Reopen Until We Find A Solution For Nuclear Waste - By Herb Field [former editorial writer with Patriot-News]

-- Reuters: US Nuclear Plants Won’t Power Up Big Tech’s AI Ambitions Right Away [TMI Restart, Talen Susquehanna Station]

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Three Mile Island Reactor Could Help Power Microsoft’s Pittsburgh Area AI Developments

-- Utility Dive: A Fast-Track PJM Interconnection Review Could Speed Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Restart: Constellation 

-- Flooding

-- Dept. Of Labor & Industry: Temporary Disaster Unemployment Assistance Available For Tropical Storm Debby In Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, Union Counties

-- PA AG One Newsletter: USDA Encourages Ag Producers, Small Businesses, Residents To Prepare For Hurricane Helene  [PaEN] 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Safety Focus Of Conemaugh River Project To Clean Out River Channel In Johnstown’s West End 

-- TribLive Editorial: Extreme Weather Shows Need To Work Together

-- Zillow, First Street Will Introduce Flood, Wildfire, Wind, Heat, Air Quality Climate Risk Information On For-Sale Property Listings  [PaEN]

-- Bloomberg: Hurricane Helene Dumps Rain On Millions Of US Homes That Lack Flood Insurance 

-- Gas Explosions

-- PUC: No Evidence Allegheny County Home Explosion Where 2 Died Related To Columbia Gas Facilities; Allegheny County, DEP Investigations Continue  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Propane Involved In Crescent Twp. House Explosion, Investigation Shows 

-- TribLive: PUC: Natural Gas Service Not To Blame For Fatal Crescent Township House Explosion

-- Train Derailments

-- AP: EPA Data Make It Hard To Know The Extent Of Contamination From Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- The Allegheny Front - Reid Frazier: Bhopal Survivors Bring Message About Chemical Exposures To Western PA, Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Victims

-- Post-Gazette: Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Settlement Finalized, But Some Residents Don’t Feel Like Winners

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: $600 Million Settlement Gets Court Approval, While Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Nightmares Continue

-- Post-Gazette: Federal Judge Gives Final Approval To $600 Million Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Settlement

-- Education

-- Post-Gazette: Charleroi Educators, Students Show Unity As Community Gets Thrown Into Political Debate Over Immigration

-- TribLive: With School Threats Increasing, School Resource Officers Man The Front Lines

-- TribLive: School Administrators Discuss PA’s Teacher Shortage, Working To Add To Educator Ranks

-- Scranton Times: Scranton School District Paid $25,000 Ransom To Cyber Attackers

-- TribLive Editorial: Is PA Board Of Higher Education A Solution To Post-Secondary Problems?

-- MCall: Muhlenberg College Tenured Professor At Center Of Protests Over Israel-Hamas Views Has Been Fired Over Sharing A Post Written By A Palestinian Poet

-- Inquirer: What To Know About Hate Crime Investigation Of Gettysburg College Swim Team Students

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: The Obscure Health Care Middlemen At The Center Of An Election Year Policy Fight

-- Law Enforcement

-- AP: Philadelphia’s District Attorney Scores Legal Win Against Republican Impeachment Bid

-- AP: Federal Court Says Man Can Sue PA Over 26 Years Of Solitary Confinement

-- WESA: Gun Violence Roundtable Highlights Need For Mental Health Resources, Social Workers For PA Students

-- The Economy

-- Dept. Of Labor & Industry: Temporary Disaster Unemployment Assistance Available For Tropical Storm Debby In Lycoming, Potter, Tioga, Union Counties

-- TribLive: Alcohol Permit Costs Overshadow Canned Cocktail Bonanza For Small Businesses

-- WESA: PA’s Minimum Wage Likely To Remain Frozen For Yet Another Year

-- Other

-- PennLive: Fmr Gov. Corbett Shares Details About His Post Capitol Life, But Not How He’s Voting

-- TribLive: Labor Board Rules Against Post-Gazette In Nearly 2-Year Employee Strike

[Posted: September 29, 2024]  PA Environment Digest