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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Spotlight PA: Shapiro Wasn’t On The Ballot This Year, But Still Spent Millions Campaigning

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Twist In NYC Murder Of Health Care CEO Puts Shapiro On National Stage - Again

-- Inquirer: Citing ‘Political Polarization’ In US, Shapiro Urged Collaboration At Pennsylvania Society Dinner

-- Spotlight PA: Under Shapiro, Half Of Clemency Recommendations Remain Unsigned

-- Chesapeake Bay Executive Council, Including Gov. Shapiro Announce Plans To Revise Watershed Agreement, Form New Agricultural Advisory Committee  [PaEN]

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Joins Governors In Renewed Commitment To Chesapeake Bay Cleanup

-- PennLive: Gov. Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Davis Can’t Help But Hype Upcoming Eagles-Steelers Game

-- PennLive: Republican Cong. Meuser Weighs Run For PA Governor, State Treasurer Garrity Isn’t Ruling It Out

-- Budget 2025

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports Gasoline Tax Revenues Down $250 Million Annually Compared To Pre-COVID 

-- PA House/Senate

-- Post-Gazette: Republican State Sen. Aument To Resign To Become US Senator-Elect Dave McCormick’s State Director 

-- City & State PA: Sen. Aument Exit Will Trigger Special Election

-- TribLive: Legalized Recreational Marijuana Is On PA’s Doorstep

-- Erie Times: Sen. Laughlin Settles Libel Lawsuit Over Erie Reader Newspaper Column With No Retraction

-- US Senate/House

-- PennLive - John Baer: Fetterman And McCormick Should Have ‘New Politics’ Bromance

-- PennLive/TNS: Fetterman Joins Truth Social And Bluesky Social Media, Supports Pardon Of President-Elect 

-- Post-Gazette: Republican State Sen. Aument To Resign To Become US Senator-Elect Dave McCormick’s State Director 

-- Post-Gazette: Bob Casey Poised To Leave US Senate ‘With Head Held High’

-- PennLive: Republican Cong. Meuser Weighs Run For PA Governor, State Treasurer Garrity Isn’t Ruling It Out

-- Statewide Offices

-- Spotlight PA: Republicans Are Thinking About Who To Run For PA Governor In 2026, State Treasurer Stacy Garrity Tops The List

-- November Election

-- WSJ Guest Essay: Pennsylvania Almost Saw A Stolen Election By Democrats

-- Elections

-- The Center Square: State Legislation Targets ‘Rogue’ County Officials After US Senate Recount Dust-Up

-- National Politics

-- PA Capital-Star: Democrat Susan Wild Reflects On 2024 Loss: ‘We Need To Reinvent How We Campaign’

-- Post-Gazette: Assination Task Force Can’t Answer Key Question: Why Shooter Tried To Kill

-- TribLive Editorial: Recommendation In Wake Of Butler Assassination Attempt Fall Short

-- The Feds - New Administration

--  City & State PA: Tracking Republican Administration’s Cabinet Nominees With Pennsylvania Ties

-- Bloomberg: No Winners Seen In Republican Administration’s ‘Destructive’ Energy Tariffs

-- Reuters: Republican Administration Says Anyone Investing $1 Billion In US Will Receive Expedited Permits 

-- Inquirer: Electric Vehicle Rebates Saved PA, NJ Drivers Up To $7,500, New Republican Administration Wants To End Them

-- Politics PA: Republican Cong. Meuser Joins Dept. Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- ChesCo: US Senator-Elect McCormick’s Plan To Push Greg Rothman To Lead PA Republicans

-- Politics PA: Pennsylvania Society Dinner Wrap

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.02  Ohio- $3.05  PA- $3.24 

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Down 1 From Last Week To 15; 21 On Aug. 21

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Republican Administration’s Big Oil/Gas Cronies Poised To Prop Up Fossil Fuels With $17 Billion In Subsidies, Incentives To Export Gas To China, Other Overseas Markets 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Time To Get Real About Renewable Energy, They Can’t Do What Fossil Fuels Can Right Now 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Northern Oil & Gas To Invest In Appalachian Natural Gas Drilling

-- Bloomberg: No Winners Seen In Republican Administration’s ‘Destructive’ Energy Tariffs

-- The Center Square: US House Republicans Demand To See Science Behind US DOE Pause In New LNG Gas Export Facility Permits

-- Reuters: US DOE Says 2 LNG Gas Export Facilities Must Wait For FERC Environmental Reviews

-- Financial Times: LNG Gas Freight Rates Plummet As Sector Grapples With Glut Of Ships

-- Bloomberg: Venture Global Starts New LNG Gas Export Facility In Louisiana

-- Bloomberg: LNG Gas Exports Seek A Future Under Mounting Climate Pressure 

-- Bloomberg: Exxon Raises Capital Spending As Worldwide Oil Glut Looms 

-- Three Mile Island Restart

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: Middlesex Twp., Cumberland County Could Become Home To Region’s First Large Scale, 700 Acre Data Storage Complex 

-- TribLive: Data Center Planned On Arconic Site In Upper Burrell Twp. Site In Westmoreland County

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Data Center Growth Will Cost Virginia Ratepayers, Report Finds

-- Bloomberg: When A Giant Data Center Comes To A Small Town

-- Utility Dive: PJM Expects Summer Peak Load To Grow 2% A Year On Average Driven By Data Centers

-- Reuters: US Power Use To Reach Record Highs In 2024, 2025 Fueled By Data Centers, EIA Forecast Says

-- Drone Sightings

-- PennLive: Mysterious Drones Now Spotted In Central PA; Here’s What Experts Are Saying

-- Reading Eagle: Plague Of Mysterious Drone Sightings Hits Berks County

-- LancasterOnline: Drone-Mania Hits Amish County; Lancaster County Residents Witness Drones

-- MCall: Drone Sightings Around Lehigh Valley Continued For 2nd Night As Mystery Grows

-- MCall: What The Lehigh Valley Should Know About Mystery Drones; What To Do If You See Them; Can You Shoot Them Down?

-- Erie Times: Mystery Drones Are Swarming Pennsylvania Skies, But Can You Shoot Them Down?

-- WNEP: Drone Enthusiasts Weight In On Sightings Across NE PA, New Jersey

-- AP: Mystery Drone Sightings Keep Happening; Here’s What We Know, And Don’t

-- Gas Explosions

-- AP: Fatal Natural Gas Explosion At Reading Chocolate Factory Caused By Faulty Gas Pipeline Fitting, Federal Safety Board Finds 

-- PUC: Investigation Into Reading Chocolate Factory Natural Gas Explosion Can Help Drive Gas Pipeline Safety

-- Education

-- The Center Square: State Tests Show Students Still Struggling With Pandemic Learning Loss

-- TribLive: Indiana County School Guard Accidentally Fires Gun In Elementary School

-- PA Capital-Star: Philadelphia Now Spending Over $100 Million On Its Curriculum Overhaul

-- Post-Gazette: Anti-Hazing Bill Shaped By Penn State, Tim Piazza’s Parents Passes Congress

-- Health Care

-- TribLive: Deadline Nears For Registering For State Health Insurance Coverage For 2025

-- PA Capital-Star: Pennsylvanians On Pennie Will See Rise In Health Insurance Premiums If Federal Subsidies Expire

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Rural Health Care Can’t Rely On The Goodwill Of Conglomerates

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Could Have 133,000 More Alzheimer’s Patients By 2040 As Support System Faces Challenges

-- Post-Gazette: Opioid Deaths Drop 25% In Pennsylvania

-- Health Care - CEO Murder Case

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Twist In NYC Murder Of Health Care CEO Puts Shapiro On National Stage - Again

-- AP: Suspect In Killing Of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Struggles, Shouts While Entering Blair County Courthouse

-- Tribune-Democrat: Altoona McDonald’s Slammed Online After Arrest Of Suspect In UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Murder

-- Altoona Mirror: Health Officials Condemn Lionization Of Alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooter

-- WSJ: Death Threats For Health Insurers Highlight Long-Simmering Anger Against Industry

-- WESA: NY Prosecutors Charge Suspect Arrested In PA With Murder In Death Of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Carried A ‘Ghost Gun’

-- The Center Square: Shapiro: UnitedHealthcare Shooter ‘Not A Hero’

-- AP: Man Arrested At Altoona McDonalds Had Gun, Mask, Writings Tying Him To Killing Of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Police Say

-- Post-Gazette: What We Know About Man Arrested In Connection With UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Murder

-- Inquirer/AP: UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Shooting Opens Door For Many To Vent Anger, Resentment, Helplessness Over Health Insurance

-- TribLive Guest Essay: The Bitter Pill Of An Insurance CEO’s Murder [One Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurer Ended Plan To Limit Anesthesia Coverage During Surgery In Response]

-- WSJ: Manhunt For UnitedHealthcare CEO Killer Meets Unexpected Obstacle: Sympathy For The Gunman [Digital Sleuths That Usually Step Up Are Declining To Help]

-- Daily Mail: UnitedHealthCare Group Executive Video To Employees Says Company Plays Critical Role In Preventing ‘Unnecessary Care’

-- Biden Pardons

-- Citizens Voice: Biden Commutes Sentence Of Kids-For-Cash Judge

-- AP: Biden’s Commutation Kids For Cash Judge Angers Pennsylvania Families

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Says Biden Commuting Kids For Cash Judge’s Sentence ‘Absolutely Wrong’

-- Scranton Times: Shapiro Blasts Biden Decision To Commute Kids For Cash Judge

-- Beaver Times: ‘Biden Got It Absolutely Wrong:’ PA Officials Condemn Clemency For ‘Kids For Cash’ Judge 

-- TribLive Editorial: There Is No Justice In Biden’s Commutation Of Kids For Cash Judge

-- TribLive: Biden Commutes 20-Year Sentence Of Former Latrobe Beverage Company CEO Who Pleaded Guilty To Fraud

-- City & State PA: Pennsylvania’s Presidential Pardon History

-- Law Enforcement

-- Post-Gazette: Is Pennsylvania A Hub For Extremism? 

-- Spotlight PA: Under Shapiro, Half Of Clemency Recommendations Remain Unsigned

-- Erie Times: Erie Catholic Diocese Lists Late Prep Headmaster As ‘Credibly Accused’ Of Child Abuse

-- TribLive: Legalized Recreational Marijuana Is On PA’s Doorstep

-- TribLive Editorial: How Should Police Respond To Mental Health Calls?

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania Worst State For Litigation Bloat

-- The Economy

-- TribLive: Biden Set To Block US Steel-Nippon Sale, Say Reports

-- Post-Gazette: Nippon Steel Promises $5,000 Individual Payouts To Steelworkers As Biden Signals He Will Block The Sale

-- TribLive: Chorus To Approve US Steel-Nippon Deal Grows Louder

-- PennLive: Hershey Company Reportedly Being Courted In Potential Takeover Bid

-- PennLive: The Hershey Company Rejects Preliminary Takeover Offer, Report

-- Other

-- PennLive: Embattled Ex-Dauphin County Commission Had Secret Business With County’s Lobbyist

[Posted: December 15, 2024]