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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- TribLive/PennLive: Gov. Shapiro Gives ‘Wait and See’ Response To Republican Pledge To Begin Mass Deportations

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Shapiro’s Path To National Office Runs Through A Still-Divided PA Legislature

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Is Josh Shapiro On Deck For 2028?

-- Budget 2025

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports FY 2024-25 Deficit Of $3.4 Billion, Grows To $4.4 Billion In FY 25-26 

-- LancasterOnline: House Republican To Pitch Bill That Would Invest State Funds In Volatile Bitcoin 

-- Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania, Most Municipalities On Track To Decide How To Spend Pandemic Relief Funding As Deadline Nears

-- PA House/Senate

-- House, Senate Democrats, Republicans Elect Leadership Teams For New Legislative Session  [PaEN]

-- The Center Square: Election Fatigue Leaves PA Legislative Priorities Vague, For Now

-- Spotlight PA: How Did PA House Democrats Keep State House During A Red Wave?

-- TribLive/Inquirer: PA House Democrats Spent More Than $18 Million To Hold On To Their One Vote  Majority, As Legislative Races Get More Expensive 

-- AP: PA House Republicans Pick New Floor Leader After Failing To Regain Majority

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Republicans Pick Rep. Topper As New Leader After Failure To Win Majority

-- The Center Square: Rep. Rozzi Bids Farewell After Tumultuous Speakership

-- US Senate/House

-- PA Dept. Of State: Unofficial Results In US Senate Race Trigger Legally Required Automatic State Recount

-- City & State PA: Automatic Recount Ordered In PA US Senate Race As McCormick Lead Shrinks 

-- AP: PA Courts Get Lawsuits Over Ballot-Counting In US Senate Contest Headed Toward A Recount

-- MCall/AP: Republicans Sue Bucks County For Counting Undated Mail Ballots In PA US Senate Race

-- TribLive: Republicans Ask PA Supreme Court To Reject Mail-In Ballots With Handwritten Date Errors

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Razor-Thin US Senate Race Shows Weakness In PA Election Law

-- November Election

-- Spotlight PA: Voting Is Over, Audits, Certification, And Possible Recounts Are Next

-- AP: PA Courts Get Lawsuits Over Ballot-Counting In US Senate Contest Headed Toward A Recount

-- MCall/AP: Republicans Sue Bucks County For Counting Undated Mail Ballots In PA US Senate Race

-- TribLive: Republicans Ask PA Supreme Court To Reject Mail-In Ballots With Handwritten Date Errors

-- Centre Daily Times: Centre County Judge Tosses Republican Challenge To Ballot Counting

-- The Center Square: Latino Faith Leader Reacts To Republican Win In Pennsylvania

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: ‘The Day Character Died’ Reflections On American Voters’ Telling Choice - By Most Rev. Dwane Brook, Bishop Of Victory Christian Center Cathedral In Erie

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Sen. Kim Ward Says Election Results May Sway Moderate Democrats Against Left-Leaning Leaders

-- PennLive - John Baer: The Shapeshifting Media, Republican Victory And What Might Lie Ahead

-- KYW: Court: Philly DA Failed To Show Musk’s $1 Million Sweepstakes Was An Illegal Lottery

-- Erie Times: Republican Erie Resident Reacts To Death Threats Texted To Her After Facebook Post In September

-- Elections

-- Citizens Voice: PA Election Laws Must Change, Luzerne County Officials Say

-- Warren Times Editorial: Precanvassing Ballots Is A Good Place For Unity

-- National Politics

-- TribLive: Here’s How New Republican Administration Could Impact Pennsylvanians

-- TribLive: Westmoreland Democratic Leader Reflects On Failed Election: ‘Maybe We Were Living In A Silo’

-- Post-Gazette: Immigrants In Western PA Are Concerned About Their Futures Under Republicans

-- TribLive Editorial: No Place For Hateful Messages As We Move On After Election

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Republicans Need To Break Their Campaign Promises For The Good Of The Country - By Mark Singel

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- PennLive: Centre County Man Sentenced To 2 Years In Prison For Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- TribLive Editorial: The High Cost Of Running For Office

-- Erie Times: Pennsylvania Society To Honor Tom Hagen, Fmr CEO Of Erie Insurance

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.08   Ohio-  $2.86   PA- $3.26 

-- WPost: Republicans Set $1.87 Gasoline Price Goal During Campaign

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Up 1 From Last Week To 15; Aug. 23 Was 21

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Pennsylvanians Will Not Be Happy About Double-Digit Hikes In Their Electricity Bills Next Year - By Scott Bomboy, Bucks County Township Supervisor 

-- Utility Dive: North American Electric Reliability Corp: Natural Gas Electric Generation Is Threatened This Winter By Ongoing Concerns About Gas Production, Delivery In Extreme Weather Conditions  [PaEN]

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Residents Likely To Pay Same Or Less As Last Winter For Heat

-- Reuters: Coterra Energy To Shell Out $3.95 Billion To Boost Permian Basin Presence

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Jump As Russia Halts Supplies To Austria

-- Bloomberg: Biden To Stand Fast On Not Issuing Permits For New LNG Gas Export Facilities; New Leadership Will Reverse That In January

-- Reuters: Biden Officials Ask EU To Align Methane Rules With US To Ease LNG Gas Exports

- AP: Interior-Designee Doug Burgum To Head New White House Council On Energy

-- AP: Chris Wright, CEO Of Oil & Gas Services Company Liberty Energy, Named DOE Secretary

-- NPR: Oil Executive Chris Wright Republican Pick For Energy Secretary

-- Politico: Republicans Tap Oil Executive Chris Wright As Energy Secretary

-- Bloomberg: Oil Fracking Boss Wright Chosen As US Energy Secretary

-- Three Mile Island Restart

-- Inquirer:  A Visit To Three Mile Island Where Constellation Energy Hopes To Restart A Nuclear Power Plant

-- Post-Gazette/NYT: At Three Mile Island, A Test Of Nuclear Power’s Promise

-- Metro Philadelphia: Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Could Reopen In 2028, What Does That Mean For Pennsylvanians?

-- WSJ: Inside The Audacious Plan To Reopen Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant  [PDF of Article] 

-- US DOE Sets Target To Triple Nuclear Energy Capacity By 2050

-- E&E News/Politico: White House Proposes Tripling US Nuclear Power By 2050

-- Drought

-- WNEP: Drought In Northeast, Central Pennsylvania Affecting Christmas Tree Farms  

-- Altoona Mirror: Growers Say Drought Shouldn’t Affect This Year’s Christmas Tree Crop

-- MCall: Lehigh River At Lowest Level In Eight Years After Months Of Abnormally Dry Weather 

-- TribLive: Snowfall Expected To Be Minimal In Western PA This Winter

-- TribLive: Driest Summer Since 2002 Leads To Increase In Wildfires

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: What To Know About Climate Change And Drought In The Philly Region

-- TribLive: Westmoreland Water Authority Calls For Voluntary Conservation In Response To Drought Conditions 

-- Courier Times: Here Are Latest Water Restrictions In Doylestown, Bucks County Amid Drought Conditions

-- WTAE: Firefighter Stable After Being Struck By Tree Fighting Wildfire In Amwell Twp., Washington County 

-- WHYY: Burn Bans In Effect Throughout Philadelphia Region Amid Drought Conditions 

-- WTAE: Firefighters Begging People To Comply With Burn Bans After Multiple Wildfires 

-- KDKA: Sunday’s Rain Not A Sign To Start Burning Again, Firefighters Say

-- WNEP: Crews Called To Wildfire In Lackawanna County

-- MCall: Blue Mountain Wildfire Cause Under Investigation As Resources Diverted To Berks County Wildfire

-- Reading Eagle: Neversink Mountain Fire 100% Contained; PA Forestry Crew Heading Home

-- Reading Eagle: Public Urged To Keep Off Trails In Fire Damaged Areas Of Neversink Mountain

-- Governor Of New Jersey Declares Statewide Drought Warning  

-- WHYY: New Jersey Declares Drought Warning As Reservoir, Groundwater Levels Decline

-- Train Derailments

-- Altoona Mirror Editorial: Norfolk Southern Railcar Inspection Rule Problematic

-- Education

-- MCall: PA Has Rescinded Its ‘Culturally Relevant’ Teaching Guidelines After A Lawsuit By A Conservative Group

-- KDKA: Chartiers Valley Schools To Learn Remotely Monday Due To ‘Credible Threat’ Against District

-- Inquirer: York County Resident Jonathan Spanos Penn State Advisory Board Member Resigns After Video Of His Racist Rant Went Viral

-- TribLive: New Republican Administration Brings Uncertainty To  Student Borrowers Hoping For Loan Forgiveness

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA: New Database Tracks How Millions In Opioid Settlement Dollars Are Being Spent In Pennsylvania

-- TribLive: COVID Outbreak Hits Allegheny County Senior Center In McKeesport

-- WESA: Pennsylvanians Have Until Jan. 15 To Get Health Care Insurance

-- Post-Gazette: For Some Pennsylvanians, Health Care Insurance Premiums Could Nearly Quadruple In 2026

-- Law Enforcement

-- KYW: Court: Philly DA Failed To Show Musk’s $1 Million Sweepstakes Was An Illegal Lottery

-- WHYY: Violence Interrupters Move To Break The Cycle Of Gun Violence In Philly

-- PennLive Guest Essay: ‘Skill’ Games Gambling vs. Pennsylvania’s Gambling Industry - By Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming)

-- PennLive Editorial: Time For District Attorney To Investigate Ethics Violations In Dauphin County Government

-- The Economy

-- Dept. Of Labor & Industry Reports October Unemployment Rate Remains At 3.4%

-- Post-Gazette: Battle Rages Over Nippon- US Steel Deal As Deadline Looms

-- DCED Invests $9.2 Million In Tax Credits For One-Time TV, Film Projects

-- TribLive: Federal Judge Will Not Stop Closure Of Pyrex Plant In Charleroi

-- TribLive: Federal Judge Hears Evidence On Blocking Pyrex Plant Closure In Charleroi

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: In Charleroi, A Case Study In Private Equity Strip Mining Communities  

-- AP: Federal Judge In Texas Blocks Rule To Expand Overtime Pay For Millions

-- Other

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Reality Check: Pittsburgh Mayor’s Budget Address From La La Land

[Posted: November 17, 2024]