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 Appoints Attorney General Michelle Henry To Be PA State Inspector General

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Campaign Funds, Team PA Pay For Shapiro’s Sports Tickets

-- Budget 2025

-- WESA/AP: Federal Appeals Court Says PA Lawmakers Can Siphon Cash From State-Chartered Medical Malpractice Insurer 

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports Record Monthly Revenue In November Driven By Sports Wagering, iGaming

-- TribLive: Western PA Casinos See Revenue Spike As State Gaming Board Reports Record Monthly Profit

-- TribLive Editorial: Self-Exclusion Is A Cry For Gambling Help

-- PA House/Senate

-- PA Capital-Star: Democratic Rep. Joshua Siegel Announces Campaign For Lehigh County Executive [Another Risk To Democratic House Majority]

-- PennLive - John Bear: ‘Tis The Legislature’s Season To Pretend It Likes Reforms

-- Spotlight PA: Are Lobbyist Emails To Lawmakers Public Records? A PA Court Will Decide

-- LancasterOnline: Republican Lancaster County Commissioner To Run For Sen. Aument’s Seat

-- US Senate/House

-- PennLive: Some Think Fetterman Is Selling Out To Republicans; Not So Fast PA Democrats Say

-- The PA Capital-Star: Bob Casey’s US Senate Career Defined By Deep Compassion For PA’s Most Vulnerable

-- Politics PA: Bob Casey’s Farewell Remarks To The US Senate

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Dave McCormick Should Honor Bob Casey’s Legacy

-- MCall: Susan Wild Reflects On 3 Terms In Congress: ‘A Privilege To Be In Public Service’

-- Post-Gazette: Muslim Nominee For Federal Appeals Court By 3 Western PA Republican Members Of Congress

-- November 2024 Election

-- MCall: PA Secretary Of State Defended PA’s 2020 Election As Free, Fair And Secure; He Believes The Same About 2024

-- Inquirer: PA Casts Electoral College Votes Without Controversy: No Death Threats, Masks Or Fake Electors

-- Tribune-Democrat: Officials Still Examining Voting Issues In Cambria County; Investigation Called For

-- Erie Times: How Erie County, PA Flipped Back To Republicans

-- Elections

-- TribLive: Push For Election Transparency Plays Out In PA Courts

-- WITF: Counties Clean Voter Rolls, Election Skeptics Praise Routine Process

-- TribLive Editorial: Will Westmoreland County Finally Hire An Elections Director?

-- National Politics

-- LancasterOnline Guest Essay: Our Politics As Christians Should Better Reflect The Teachings Of Jesus - By Alana Stoltzfus, Franklin & Marshall College Student

-- Post-Gazette: PA Already Finds Itself At Center Of Political Attention For 2026

-- The Feds - New Administration

-- The Daily Item Guest Essay: Potential Cuts To Federal Funding For Abandoned Mine Cleanup - By Sophia Evans, Dickinson College Student  [PDF of article]

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: As States Line Up To Battle New Administration Over Climate, Pennsylvania Could Be On The Sidelines 

-- Bloomberg: Republican Administration Threatens Tariffs If EU Doesn’t Buy More US Oil, Natural Gas

-- Bloomberg: Oil/Gas Sector Lobbies Republican Administration To Spare It From Tariffs, Regulation 

-- Reuters: Exclusive: Republican Administration Transition Team To Roll Back Electric Vehicle, Emissions Policies

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- Observer-Reporter: Burgettstown Man Sentenced To Prison For Crimes Related To Assault On US Capitol

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- PennLive: PA Republican Leadership Race Down To Rothman

-- Spotlight PA: Mail Delays, Paperwork Problems Prevent Hungry Families From Accessing Food Benefits In PA

-- PennLive: Amid Contract Controversies, 2 Dauphin County Political Insiders Leave McNees, Wallace & Nurick Law Firm

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.05  Ohio- $3.14  PA- $3.22

-- PUC Urges Natural Gas Customers To Explore Ways To Reduce Heating Costs; All But One Major Gas Utility Has Increased Cost Of Gas In PA  [PaEN]

-- PUC Chairman Stephen M. DeFrank Appointed Chair Of National Assn. Of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Committee On Natural Gas  [PaEN] 

-- North American Electric Reliability Corp: AI Poses Threat To North American Electricity Grid  [PaEN] 

-- Utility Dive: NERC - ‘Explosive’ Demand Growth Puts More Than Half Of North America At Risk Of Blackouts

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Same As Last Week- 15; 21 On Aug. 23

-- Bloomberg: Oil/Gas Sector Lobbies Republican Administration To Spare It From Tariffs, Regulation 

-- US DOE Releases LNG Gas Export Study: Facilities Already Approved Will Meet Global Demand For Decades; Unfettered Exports Would Increase Domestic Natural Gas Prices; Electricity Prices; Costs To Manufacturers  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak, et al: Expanding Natural Gas Exports Will Increase Prices, Pollution, Report Says

-- Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition Calls For Immediate Lift Of LNG Export Facility Permit Review Ban  [EQT, PA Shale Gas Says We Have A ‘Duty’ To Sell More Gas To China Our Economic, Military Competitor]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: Energy & Business Groups Respond To US DOE LNG Gas Export Study  [PDF of Article]

-- IEEFA: US Natural Gas Prices Linked To International LNG Gas Prices Cost US Consumers More Than $100 Billion Dollars Over 16 Months At The Beginning Of Russian War In Ukraine

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Markets Brace For ‘Volatility’ With Expiration Of Gas Transit Deal Between Russia And Ukraine Jan. 1 

-- Reuters: Demand For US LNG Gas Exports Head For First Decline In 8 Years; Europe Bracing For New Price Shock As Weather Depletes Storage 

-- Bloomberg: Republican Administration Threatens Tariffs If EU Doesn’t Buy More US Oil, Natural Gas 

-- Utility Dive: US LNG Gas Exports Raise Electricity Bills, Gas Prices And Emissions, DOE Report Concludes

-- The Guardian: DOE Warns ‘Unfettered’ Natural Gas Expansion Would Drive Up Domestic Costs

-- Financial Times: LNG Gas Export Boost Would Increase Prices, Hurt Climate, US Study Says

-- Reuters: US DOE Releases LNG Gas Export Facility Study Urging Caution On New Permits

-- Bloomberg: Biden’s LNG Gas Export Study Presents ‘Speed Bump’ For New Republican Administration

-- S&P Global: Major New US Industry At A Crossroads - A US LNG Impact Study - Phase I 

-- Reuters: US Keeps LNG Gas Exports Crown Even With Facility Outages, Delays In Projects Under Construction, Slowing Demand

-- Reuters: US Presses EU To Align Methane Regulations For LNG Gas Exports

-- Three Mile Island Restart

-- North American Electric Reliability Corp: AI Poses Threat To North American Electricity Grid  [PaEN] 

-- Financial Times: North American Electric Reliability Corp: AI Poses Threat To North American Electricity Grid, Watchdog Warns

-- Bloomberg: Blackout Risk Is Rising For North American Grids, NERC Study Says

-- Utility Dive: NERC - ‘Explosive’ Demand Growth Puts More Than Half Of North America At Risk Of Blackouts

-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Ad Crable: Will Nuclear Power Make A Comeback In Chesapeake Bay Region? 

-- Reuters: AI’s Energy Hunger Fuels Geothermal Startups But Natural Gas Rivalry Clouds Future

-- Bloomberg: Can US Power Industry Meet AI’s  Steep Energy Demands?

-- Flooding

-- WHYY- Sophia Schmidt: PECO Moves Transformer Flooded During Hurricane Ida To Prepare For More Extreme Weather

-- Gas Explosions

-- Post-Gazette: PA Lawmakers Talk Of Requiring Natural Gas Detectors In Buildings After Explosion That Killed 7 In Reading 

-- TribLive: Residents Of Mt. Peasant Personal Care Homes Start Returning Hours After Natural Gas Leak In Westmoreland 

-- Columbia Gas Offers Safety And Energy-Saving Tips For Cold Weather

-- Reuters: California Sets Clear Path To Potentially Closing Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility To Improve Energy Reliability, Affordability [Site Of Massive Gas Leak In 2015]

-- Education

-- MCall: Have Lehigh Valley Schools Rebounded From Pandemic?  What The Latest PSSA Scores Reveal

-- The Center Square: First Lady Shapiro Celebrates Strides Against ‘Period Poverty’ In Schools

-- The Center Square: Report: Conservative College Faculty Hide Political Views More Often

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Keystone College Challenges Appeal To Withdraw Accreditation

-- Health Care

-- Inquirer: PA Medicaid Spent Nearly $300 Million On Wegovy, Other Anti-Obesity Drugs In One Year

-- WHYY: Independence Blue Cross To Restrict Coverage For Weight Loss Medications, Citing ‘Exorbitant Costs’

-- The Center Square: Free Speech Debate Ignited After UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder

-- Spotlight PA: A Handful Of PA Doctors Approve One-Third Of Medical Pot Cards In A Single Year; Experts Question Quality Of Care

-- TribLive Editorial: PA Should Better Regulate The Liquor, Medical Marijuana Before Legalizing More

-- MCall: Wayne Memorial Settles Malpractice Case In Death Of 16-Year Old Student For $16 Million, Acknowledging Failures

-- The Center Square: First Lady Shapiro Celebrates Strides Against ‘Period Poverty’ In Schools

-- Biden’s Pardons

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Biden’s Clemency For Kids For Cash Judge Is Offensive To Victims, Justice

-- TribLive: ‘My Goodness, Where’s The Justice?’: Latrobe Fire Chief Asks Of Biden’s Move To Commute CEO Podlucky’s Sentence

-- WNEP: Mother Of Son Lost To ‘Kids For Cash’ Scandal Fights For Change After Biden Commutes Judge’s Sentence 

-- The Center Square: No More ‘Biden’ Expressway In Scranton After Commuting Kids For Cash Judge

-- Citizens Voice: Kids For Cash Juvenile Justice Reforms Abandoned, Former Public Defender Says 

-- The Center Square: Free Speech Debate Ignited After UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder

-- Law Enforcement

-- The Center Square: PA Lawmaker To Introduce ‘Ghost Gun’ Regulation Bill, After CEO Murder

-- Gov. Shapiro Appoints Attorney General Michelle Henry To Be PA State Inspector General

-- Spotlight PA: Gaming Board Abandons Proposal To Make It Easier For Problem Gamblers To Return To PA Casinos

-- TribLive: Allegheny County Must Pay Guard $1.5 Million Over Boss’s Racist Comments

-- WHYY: Why Pennsylvania Scores High For Police Misconduct Settlement Cases

-- PennLive: US Marshals Release New Details In Federal Courthouse Shooting In Harrisburg

-- The Center Square: Man Shot At Federal Courthouse In Harrisburg

-- TribLive/AP: Lawsuit Claims Dauphin County Prison Retaliated Against Inmates By Confiscating Toilet Paper, Soap Cutting Power, Heat

-- The Economy

-- The Center Square: Grants Coming For Historically Disadvantaged Business Owners

-- Dept. Of Labor & Industry Reports November Unemployment At 3.5%, First Change Since October 2023

-- Post-Gazette: Closure Of Washington County Glass Plant Delayed Until April

-- WSJ: Nippon-US Steel Executives Running Out Of Time To Save $14 Billion Deal

[Posted: December 22, 2024]