Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last 2 Weeks

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- PA Capital-Star: Top 5 Gov. Shapiro Stories Of 2024

-- City & State PA: Year In Review: Top Stories Of 2024 And Where Issues Stand

-- PennLive - John Baer: Will PA Politics Snooze In 2025?  That’s Up To Shapiro, McCormick, Fetterman

-- Inquirer: Shapiro Part Of Rising Group Of Democrats Proudly Showing Their Faith

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Gov. Shapiro Files Complaint With FERC Against PJM Interconnection Pointing To Flaws In Capacity Auction Costing PA Consumers Over $20 Billion In Unnecessary Costs   [Copy Of Complaint]

-- Reuters: PA Governor Complains To FERC About PJM Power Market Rules

-- Utility Dive: Pennsylvania Asks FERC To Lower PJM Capacity Price Cap To Prevent ‘Runaway’ Costs

-- The Center Square: Shapiro Files FERC Complaints About Higher Energy Prices 

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Shapiro Files Complaint With FERC Against Power Grid Operator Alleging Flaws In Capacity Auction Rules

-- Reuters: PJM Responds To Gov. Shapiro’s FERC Complaint On Power Auction Rules: ‘We Have Been Warning For Over 2 Years Of The Prospect That Parts Of Our Country Could Run Short Of Power’

-- Post-Gazette: PA Senate Republicans Says Shapiro’s FERC Complaint Against PJM Rings Hollow

-- PA Senate Republicans: Shapiro’s FERC Complaint On PJM Power Auction Rules Rings Hollow [RGGI}

-- Budget 2025

-- Dept. Of Revenue Report December Tax Revenue Was $87.2 Million (2.3%) Below Estimates; Down $97.1 Million (0.5%) Below Estimates

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports December State Revenue Was $36 Million (1%) Below IFO Estimates; Up $83 Million (0.4%) Above IFO Estimates

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Lawmakers From Both Parties Expect To Renew Push To Tax ‘Skill’ Gambling Games

-- Post-Gazette: Fiscal Office Report Is Latest To Show PA’s High-Income Earners Have Lower Effective Tax Rates

-- PA House/Senate

-- City & State PA: Year In Review: Top Stories Of 2024 And Where Issues Stand

-- City & State PA: What To Watch For In Harrisburg In 2025

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: Western PA Lawmakers Keeping US Steel, Energy, Education As High Priorities For New Legislative Session

-- City & State PA: Q&A With Former House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler

-- WESA: Democratic Rep. Gergely Hospitalized Before Return Of Closely Divided House Adding Uncertainty

- Post-Gazette Editorial: The Public Deserves To Know How Lobbyists Are Influencing Politicians

-- Spotlight PA: PA Lawmakers Passed Fewer Laws Than In Other Recent Sessions, But Leaders Say Quality Is Better Than Quantity

-- CNHI News: Year In Review: What The PA Legislature Achieved In 2024

-- PA Capital-Star: 5 Top Stories From PA House In 2024

-- PA Capital-Star: Top PA Senate Stories Of 2024

-- The Center Square: PA Legislators Call For PA To Join States Raising Minimum Wage

-- PoliticsPA: Republican County Commissioner Josh Parsons Announces For Sen. Augment’s Seat In Lancaster County

-- LancasterOnline: Rep. Brett Miller Enters Republican Race For Sen. Aument Seat

-- US Senate/House

-- PennLive - John Baer: Will PA Politics Snooze In 2025?  That’s Up To Shapiro, McCormick, Fetterman

-- Post-Gazette: McCormick Poised To Focus On Republican Tax Cuts, Economy, Energy As PA’s New US Senator

-- Post-Gazette: New Congress Convenes On Friday, Here’s What It Means To PA

-- Statewide Offices

-- Attorney General-Elect Dave Sunday Announces Transition Committee Members, Including An Energy & Environment Committee  [PaEN]

-- 2025 Elections

-- WESA: PA Supreme Court Retention The Next Ugly Political Fight

-- Inquirer: PA’s Political Pendulum Swung To Republicans This Year, Will It Stay There?

-- Spotlight PA: Small Group Of Donors Dominated These High-Profile PA Election Races In 2024

-- Centre Daily Times: Centre County Has More Registered Republicans Than Democrats For First Time Since 2008

-- 2024 Elections

-- Spotlight PA: Special Elections Cost PA At Least $1 Million Last Legislative Session

-- 2020 Election

-- WHYY/AP: Commonwealth Court Sides With Dept. Of State Over Fulton County’s Handling Of Voting Machines After 2020 Election

-- National Politics

-- TribLive: 2050 Look Ahead: PA’s Influence May Shrink In Next 25 Years As Political Winds Shift

-- The Feds - New Administration

-- Erie Times: How Republican Administration Plan To Disband Federal Dept. Of Education Would Impact Pennsylvania

-- WESA/WPSU: New US Farm Bill Still Out Of Reach, Leaving Programs Unsettled

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: There Are Some Things Only Government Can Do Right: USPS, NOAA

-- PA’s Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- Observer-Reporter: Western PA Residents Played Large Role In Assault On US Capitol

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- City & State PA: What To Watch For In Harrisburg In 2025

-- TribLive Editorial: What Is Pennsylvania’s Political Future?

-- PA Energy Politics After Russian Invasion

-- PUC Urges Pennsylvanians To Prepare Now For Winter Storms  [PaEN] 

-- 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] 

-- Reuters: US Winter Storms Could Cause Power Outages, Cut Natural Gas Supplies 

 -- Utility Dive: North American Electric Reliability Corp. Issues Electric Grid Reliability Warning Ahead Of Expected Winter Storm In Eastern US Starting Jan. 4  

-- Financial Times: US Gas, Heating Oil, Energy Markets On Edge As ‘Polar Vortex’ Set To Deliver Deep Freeze In Northern US

-- Marcellus Shale Gas Coalition: Preparing For Winter - How The Natural Gas industry Ensures Safety And Reliability 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: What PA Has Been Doing On Energy Generation Is Simply Not Working, Renewable Energy Reliable, Economical - By Sharon Pillar, PA Solar Center 

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.06   Ohio- $3.15    PA- $3.26  [1.3.25]

-- AAA Gasoline: National- $3.02  Ohio- $2.99   PA- $3.21  [12.27.24]

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Same As Last Week - 15; Aug. 23 Was 21  [1.3.25]

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Same As Last Week 15; Aug. 23 - 21 [12.27.24]

-- FoxNews: Natural Gas Prices Spike As Forecasts Of Colder Than Expected Winter

-- Bloomberg: US Natural Gas Prices Surge 16% As Forecasters Warn Of Artic Blast In January

-- Marcellus Drilling News: NYMEX Natural Gas Price Up 14% Last Week To $3.75; Heading For $4.30? [Cold Weather, LNG Demand Push Prices Higher]  [PDF of Article]

-- Reuters: US LNG Gas Demand Hits Record High, Prices Increase On Last Day Of The Year

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Increase As Norway LNG Gas Export Outage Adds To Loss Of Russian Flow

-- Bloomberg: Russia, Ukraine End 5 Decades Of Natural Gas Transit To Europe

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Hit Highest Level Since Nov. 2023 In Anticipation Of Halt In Russian Gas Flows Thru Ukraine

-- Reuters: What Happens When Russian Natural Gas Supply To Europe Via Ukraine Ends Jan. 1?

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Jump [Again] As Putin Doubts New Pipeline Transit Deal Can Be Made

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Up 2.4% With One Week Left On Ukraine-Russian Pipeline Transit Deal

-- FXEmpire: 2025 Natural Gas Forecast: LNG Exports, Domestic Demand Push Upward Price Potential 

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Rise With Clock Ticking Toward Expiring Ukraine, Russia Pipeline Transit Deal Jan. 1

-- Three Mile Island Restart

-- WITF StateImpartPA - Rachel McDevitt: Jimmy Carter Offered Calm To Pennsylvanians After Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Partial Meltdown 

-- WSJ: The Data-Center Boom Eats Up A Lot Of Land, Atlanta Says It’s Gone Too Far

-- Flooding

-- Spotlight PA: Rural PA Counties Still Recovering From Tropical Storm Debby As Officials Eye Ways To Mitigate Future Damage

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: US Army Corps Wants To Elevate 6,000 NJ Homes To Protect Them From Storms 

-- Williamsport Sun: North Carolina Flood Relief Volunteers And Donors Make Mark 600 Miles Away 

-- Train Derailments

-- PittsburghUnionProgress: From Brain Fog To Nosebleeds: There’s A Name For What’s Happening To People Affected By Norfolk Southern Train Derailment - Toxicant-Induced Loss Of Tolerance [PA Impacts]

-- Post-Gazette: Cong. Deluzio, Sen. Markey Pressing Next Congress For Rail Upgrades, Safety Improvements  [Congress, PA Legislature Did Nothing In Response To Norfolk Southern Train Derailment]

-- Education

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: New PA Commission Quietly Delves Into ‘Transforming’ State Approach To Education

-- Inquirer: PA’s Underfunded Schools Got Millions More In State Money This Year, What Are They Spending It On?

-- The Center Square: Pennsylvania’s Education Landscape In 2024

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: What The State’s Independent Colleges And Universities Bring - By Assn. Of Independent Colleges And Universities of PA

-- Erie Times: How Republican Administration Plan To Disband Federal Dept. Of Education Would Impact Pennsylvania

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA: Scrutiny, Secrecy Defined PA Debates Over How To Spend Opioid Settlement Billions In 2024

-- Post-Gazette: Closures, Shrinking Services Continue At Rural PA Hospitals

-- Post-Gazette: Doctors Are Returning To Venango County

-- WHYY: Penn Expecting $467 Million Windfall From COVID Vaccine Royalty Dispute

-- Spotlight PA: Inside The Big Business Of Medical Marijuana Cards In PA

-- Inquirer: Independence Blue Cross Will No Longer Cover Drugs Like Ozempic When They Are Prescribed Solely For Weight Loss

-- Biden’s Pardons

-- Warren Times Editorial: Kids For Cash Judge Clemency Appalling

-- Law Enforcement

-- WESA: PA Supreme Court Retention The Next Ugly Political Fight

-- Inquirer: Philadelphia Saw Historic Drop In Murders In 2024, What Changed?

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Fewer Murders And Shootings Is Good, But It’s Only Part Of Pittsburgh’s Story

-- PennLive: Pioneering PA Judge Sylvia Rambo Dies At 88

-- Republican Herald: 50+ Schuylkill County Residents To March In Washington For Women’s Rights

-- PA Capital-Star: Ex-State Trooper Charged With Taking Kickbacks In His Role With PA Skill Gambling Games Company

-- The Economy

-- The Center Square: The State Of PA Economic And Social Programs In 2024

-- The Center Square: PA Legislators Call For PA To Join States Raising Minimum Wage

-- TribLive: Biden Blocks Nippon Steel Takeover Of US Steel On National Security Grounds

-- TribLive: Devastation, Relief Among Emotions In US Steel Sale After Biden’s Block

-- Post-Gazette: Biden’s Rejection Of US Steel’s Sale To Nippon Sends Shockwaves Through Pittsburgh And Beyond

-- Post-Gazette: How Politicians From Western PA And Beyond Reacted To Blocking Sale Of US Steel

-- TribLive: US Steel, Nippon Say Biden’s Decision To Block Sale Was ‘Political’

-- Post-Gazette Brandon McGinley: Blocking Nippon And The False Promise Of Post-Industrial Pittsburgh

-- Triblive: Report: Nippon Steel Offers 10-Year Guarantee To Gain Approval Of US Steel Acquisition

-- TribLive: US Steel, Nippon, Mon Valley Mayors Urge Biden To Approver Deal

-- TribLive: Escalating Promises From Nippon On Takeover Of US Steel Not Enough For United Steelworkers

-- TribLive Editorial: What Does Biden’s Block Mean For US Steel?

-- Post-Gazette: Western PA Governments Push To Commit The Last Of The COVID Relief Funds

-- MCall: Pandemic Relief: What’s Left, How Did Lehigh, Northampton Counties Spend It

-- Triblive: Overwhelming Demand For Rental Assistance Exhausts Westmoreland County Funds

-- TribLive: Pittsburgh Transit Authority Discloses Ransomware Attack

-- Other

-- Erie Times: REAL ID In PA Deadline Now May 2025

-- PennLive/WPost: Thousands More Native Americans Died At Boarding Schools Than Originally Disclosed, Report [Including In Carlisle]

[Posted: January 6, 2025]