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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Post-Gazette: PA Among States Suing Over Federal Funding Cuts To Head Start

-- Pennsylvania Joins 25 Other States In Lawsuit Over Termination Of AmeriCorps Job Training Funding Approved For Distribution  [PaEN] 

-- Inquirer: Shapiro Joining 23 States In Lawsuit Over Federal Cuts To AmeriCorps Job Training Program

-- Inquirer: 5 Former PA Governors Teaming Up To Help Restore Governor’s Residence Following Arson Attack

-- Spotlight PA: PA House Republican Leader Says Public Should Be Told How Arson Attack At Governor’s Residence Occurred

-- AP: Consultant Says Security Report On Governor’s Residence Arson Attack Won’t Be Made Public

-- KDKA: Shapiro Says ‘Honest Dialogue’ Needed About Proactive Steps To Reduce Future Power Outages

-- Budget 2025

-- TribLive: PA Educators Push For Additional Dollars To Equitably Fund Schools

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports April Tax Revenue $362.2 Million (6.2%) Higher Than Estimates; Year-To-Date $328.8 Million (0.8%) Higher Than Estimates

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports April State Revenue $420 Million (7.3%) Higher Than IFO Estimates; Year-To-Date $951 million (2.5%) Higher Than IFO Estimates

-- PA House/Senate

-- Republican Rep. Seth Grove Will Not Seek Reelection

-- Spotlight PA: PA House Republican Leader Says Public Should Be Told How Arson Attack At Governor’s Residence Occurred

-- AP: Consultant Says Security Report On Governor’s Residence Arson Attack Won’t Be Made Public

-- Inquirer: 5 Former PA Governors Teaming Up To Help Restore Governor’s Residence Following Arson Attack

-- Inquirer: Delaware County Lawmakers Want PA Attorney General To Claw Back $40 Million Given To Hospital In Failed Attempt To Keep It Open

-- US Senate/House

-- The Center Square: Expiring Federal Tax Cuts Will Raise Individual Taxes An Average Of $2,521 In PA

-- PoliticsPA: Republican PA US Sen. McCormick Puts $1 Million Into Bitcoins While His committee Considers Regulating The Industry

-- Spotlight PA/AP: PA Republican Con. Scott Perry, Fellow Vulnerable Republicans Play Hard To Get During Congressional Break

-- PennLive: Janelle Stelson ‘Strongly Considering’ Rematch Against Republican Con. Scott Perry

-- MCall: Fmr PPL Executive 2nd Democrat To Launch Bid For Lehigh Valley’s Congressional Seat

-- TribLive/AP: Swing District Republicans Become Hard To Find For Those Angry About President’s Policies [PA Included]  

-- TribLive Guest Essay: PA Helped Elect President, He’s Delivering Prosperity Back - By PA Republican Con. Guy Reschenthaler

-- S&P Global: Reality Will Force President To Moderate US Energy ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Policies: Fmr FERC Chair 

-- Statewide Offices

-- ABC27: State Treasurer Stacy Garrity Sets Timeline, Outlines Issues For Potential Run For Governor

-- WITF: Attorney General Investigation Of Voter Registration Ongoing, 6 Months In

-- WITF: Auditor General Audit Of Automatic Voter Registration Ongoing, Almost 8 Months In

-- Inquirer: Delaware County Lawmakers Want PA Attorney General To Claw Back $40 Million Given To Hospital In Failed Attempt To Keep It Open

-- 2025 Elections

-- Republican Rep. Seth Grove Will Not Seek Reelection

-- TribLive: In Suburban Pittsburgh Counties, Democrats Are Harder To Find In Elected Office

-- 2024 Elections

-- WITF: Attorney General Investigation Of Voter Registration Ongoing, 6 Months In

-- WITF: Auditor General Audit Of Automatic Voter Registration Ongoing, Almost 8 Months In

-- Elections

-- PA Capital-Star: Out-Of-State Group Can’t Sue For PA Voter Registration Records, Federal Appeals Court Rules

-- Spotlight PA: 15 Years After Citizens United Court Decision, Big Money Dominates Politics In PA And Beyond

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Tariffs

-- PennLive: Tariffs Create ‘Chaos’ And Uncertainty, Central PA Small Business Owners Say 

-- WHYY: PA Companies Brace For The Cost Of Retaliatory Tariffs On Products They Export As A Result Of President’s Trade War [PA Companies Exported $3.4 Billion In Products To China In 2024] 

-- Financial Times: China Says It Can Live Without US Farm, Energy Goods [PA Exported $3.1 Billion In Farm Products To China In 2023]

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- TribLive Editorial: PBS, NPR And Being The Helpers Mister Rogers Talked About

-- Post-Gazette: PA Among States Suing Over Federal Funding Cuts To Head Start

-- Pennsylvania Joins 25 Other States In Lawsuit Over Termination Of AmeriCorps Job Training Funding Approved For Distribution  [PaEN] 

-- Inquirer: Shapiro Joining 23 States In Lawsuit Over Federal Cuts To AmeriCorps Job Training Program

-- Centre Daily Times Guest Essay: Ensure America Keeps Investing In Rural Pennsylvania - By Philip Vonada, PA State Grange  [Federal Cuts Putting People At Risk]

-- Tribune-Democrat: Federal Cuts Fallout: Veterans, Military Organizations Feeling ‘A Lot Of Uncertainty’

-- PennLive - John Baer: Is The President Helping To Rebuild Trust In The Media?  [‘For The First time, More People, Including His Voters, See In Their Own Lives, With Their Own Eyes, That Things He’s Saying Can’t Be Trusted’]

-- Inquirer: What To Know About President’s Executive Order On Sanctuary Cities That Could Target Philadelphia

-- Republican Herald: 12 Schuylkill County High School Students Recognized For Efforts To Promote Diversity, Understanding, Acceptance Of Others In Their Schools And Communities

-- Inquirer: Swarthomore Students Renew Their Pro-Palestinian Protests With A Fresh Encampment, Specific Demands

-- PennLive: PA Regulators Confident In State Testing After President Suspends Some Food Safety Programs

-- TribLive: Western PA Recovery Support Groups Make Tough Cuts Amid Federal Funding Freeze

-- Post-Gazette: Pitt Loses Another $1 Million Federal NSF Research Grant To Help Middle School Students Become Computer Literate: ‘These Letters Are Driving Fear’

-- WESA: Pitt Medical Researchers Show State Legislators Impact Of Federal NIH Funding Cuts

-- WITF/AP: New Federal Administration Says University Of Pennsylvania Violated Sex Discrimination Laws After Transgender Swimmer Competed In 2022

-- TribLive Guest Essay: PA Helped Elect President, He’s Delivering Prosperity Back - By PA Republican Con. Guy Reschenthaler

-- S&P Global: Reality Will Force President To Moderate US Energy ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Policies: Fmr FERC Chair 

-- New Federal Administration

-- The Center Square: Expiring Federal Tax Cuts Will Raise Individual Taxes An Average Of $2,521 In PA

-- Wall Street Journal Editorial: President’s 2nd Term In Trouble, Needs Major Reset If He Wants To Rescue It From The Economic, Foreign-Policy Shocks He Has Unleashed

-- National Politics

-- Spotlight PA: 15 Years After Citizens United Court Decision, Big Money Dominates Politics In PA And Beyond

-- WPost: Illinois Governor’s Speech In New Hampshire Critical Of ‘Do-Nothing Democrats,’ Urged Democrats To Abandon Efforts To Compromise With ‘A Madman’

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- PennLive: PA Democrats Face ‘Death Knell’ From Black Voter Trends; Republicans Must Take Advantage: Report

-- Inquirer Guest Essay: Failure To Grasp Antisemitism Is Cripplying Pennsylvania’s Response To The World’s Oldest Hate

-- International Energy Market Impacts On PA

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.18  Ohio- $3.18  PA- $3.34  

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Stays At 18 For 2nd Week

-- PA Senate Committee Meets May 7 On Bill To Punish Communities Taking Steps To Protect Their Residents From Health, Environmental Impacts Of Shale Gas Drilling  [PaEN]

-- TribLive Guest Essay: PA Helped Elect President, He’s Delivering Prosperity Back - By PA Republican Con. Guy Reschenthaler

-- PJM Interconnection: 51 Generation Projects, 9.3 GW To Move Forward To Address Near-Term Electricity Demand Growth-- 39 Upgrades, 12 New Construction  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive Letter: Market Competition In PJM Is Solving Pennsylvania’s Energy Challenges - By Glen Thomas, Former Chair, PA Public Utility Commission [PJM Picks 51 Energy Projects]

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Electricity Realism Isn’t Climate Denialism - Javier Blas, Bloomberg Opinion

-- S&P Global: Reality Will Force President To Moderate US Energy ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Policies: Fmr FERC Chair 

-- EPA Issues Clarification Of Hazardous Air Pollutant Rules On Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines To Help A.I. Data Centers 

-- The Guardian: Federal Justice Department Sues Michigan And Hawaii Over Climate Suits Against Big Oil

-- Utility Dive: Electric, Gas Utilities Urge FERC To Launch Inquiry To Consider Natural Gas Pipeline Reliability Measures To Cope With Extreme Weather, Increased Demand

-- Reuters: US LNG Gas Exports Surge To New Highs On Strong Buying By Europe

-- Financial Times: China Says It Can Live Without US Farm, Energy Goods  [PA Exported $3.1 Billion In Farm Products To China In 2023]

-- Bloomberg: OPEC+ Agrees To Another Oil Supply Surge In June, Delegates Say, Already Sending Crude Prices Plunging

-- Storm Damage/Power Outages

-- PUC: Storm Recovery Moving Ahead, But Work Remains: 136,000 Customers Remain Without Power  [PaEN] 

-- WESA: Duquesne Light Says All Customers Should Have Power Back By Tuesday

-- KDKA: Shapiro Says ‘Honest Dialogue’ Needed About Proactive Steps To Reduce Future Power Outages

-- PUC Working Closely With Utilities, State Agencies To Restore Power To 426,000 Customers After Powerful Storms; 3 Deaths Reported So Far  [PaEN] 

-- PEMA: Cleanup, Recovery Efforts Continue After Severe Storms Across Pennsylvania

-- Arkansas Advocate: President Denies Disaster Aid For Devastating Tornadoes, Flooding, Tells States To Do More 

-- Inside Climate News: US Disaster Survivors Organize Across America, Turning Common Bonds Of Loss Into Action [108 US Disaster Declarations Last Year]

-- Wildfires

-- PennWatch: DCNR Reports 100% Containment Of Hammonds Rocks Wildfire; 80% Containment Of Thompson Hollow Wildfire In Michaux State Forest, Cumberland County 

-- DCNR: Gov. Shapiro Visits Michaux State Forest To Thank Wildfire Fighters 

-- DCNR: Combined Efforts Of 150 Firefighters Have Stopped The Michaux State Forest Wildfires In Cumberland County From Growing  [PaEN] 

-- Post-Gazette: Wildfire Smoke Associated With 20,000 Premature Deaths And Billions In Damages New Carnegie Mellon Study Calculates

-- Flooding

-- House Hearing: Local Communities Ask For State, Federal Help After Devastating Floods  [PaEN]

-- Brandywine Conservancy, Partners Release Brandywine Flood Study Report [PaEN]

-- WHYY:  Eastwick Philadelphia Residents Travel To DC To Demand Federal Flood Solutions Funding Be Restored 

-- Arkansas Advocate: President Denies Disaster Aid For Devastating Tornadoes, Flooding, Tells States To Do More 

-- Inside Climate News: US Disaster Survivors Organize Across America, Turning Common Bonds Of Loss Into Action [108 US Disaster Declarations Last Year]

-- Planet Philadelphia May 2 Program On Predicting Economic Effects Of Climate Change, 4:00 p.m. 

-- AP: Loss Of Federal Resilient Infrastructure Program Spells Disaster For Hundreds Of Communities, Their Projects

-- Train Derailments

-- Post-Gazette/AP: Is Norfolk Southern ‘Making It Right’ After Ohio Train Derailment? New Lawsuit Adds To Doubts

-- Post-Gazette: Local Ohio School Officials Sue Norfolk Southern Over Broken Promises To Reimburse Them For Costs Related To Train Derailment, Including Abandoning A $30 Million Plan Building Plan

-- Three Mile Island Restart/Data Centers

-- DEP Received Air Quality Permit For 4.6 Gigawatt Homer City Generation Natural Gas Power Plant For Data Center In Indiana County  [PaEN]

-- WITF - Rachel McDevitt: Pennsylvania Weighs How To Manage Power-Hungry Data Centers

-- WNEP: Archbald Considers Proposed Data Centers In Luzerne County

-- Post-Gazette: Why Some Are Betting On Pittsburgh To Be An A.I. Hub And Transform The Region’s Economy

-- PA Capital-Star: Nuclear Energy Growth In PA, Other States Need Federal Action

-- Utility Dive: Exelon Data Center Projects Pipeline Doubles To 36 GW Since Year-End 

-- PJM Interconnection: 51 Generation Projects, 9.3 GW To Move Forward To Address Near-Term Electricity Demand Growth-- 39 Upgrades, 12 New Construction  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive Letter: Market Competition In PJM Is Solving Pennsylvania’s Energy Challenges - By Glen Thomas, Former Chair, PA Public Utility Commission [PJM Picks 51 Energy Projects]

--  TribLive: Proposed TECfusions Data Center To Use 2 Gigawatts Of Natural Gas-Fired Electric Generation In First Phases [‘No Health Effects’ To The Community From Burning Fossil Fuels]

-- PA Reps. Nelson, Mullens, Barton Announce Legislation To Accelerate Data Center Permitting 

-- Floodlight.org: Transmission Line Conflicts Ahead As A.I. Drives US Electricity Demand  

-- EPA Issues Clarification Of Hazardous Air Pollutant Rules On Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines To Help A.I. Data Centers 

-- Education

-- TribLive: PA Educators Push For Additional Dollars To Equitably Fund Schools

-- Republican Herald: 12 Schuylkill County High School Students Recognized For Efforts To Promote Diversity, Understanding, Acceptance Of Others In Their Schools And Communities

-- Beaver Times: South Side Area School District Challenge To LGBTQ Protections Should Be Tossed, State Officials Say

-- PennLive: House Hearing: Cyber Charter Private Schools’ Academic Outcomes Compare Poorly To Brick And Mortar Schools

-- Spotlight PA: Costly Cyber Private Charter School Tuition Consuming Tens Of Millions Of New State Dollars For Poor PA Schools

-- Post-Gazette: PA Among States Suing Over Federal Funding Cuts To Head Start

-- TribLive: Duquesne Receives Record Number Of Applications For Class Of 2029

-- Post-Gazette: Pitt Loses Another $1 Million Federal NSF Research Grant To Help Middle School Students Become Computer Literate: ‘These Letters Are Driving Fear’

-- WESA: Pitt Medical Researchers Show State Legislators Impact Of Federal NIH Funding Cuts

-- Inquirer: Swarthomore Students Renew Their Pro-Palestinian Protests With A Fresh Encampment, Specific Demands

-- WITF/AP: New Federal Administration Says University Of Pennsylvania Violated Sex Discrimination Laws After Transgender Swimmer Competed In 2022

-- Health Care

-- Inquirer: Delaware County Lawmakers Want PA Attorney General To Claw Back $40 Million Given To Hospital In Failed Attempt To Keep It Open

-- Inquirer Editorial: Delaware County Hospital Closures Won’t Be The Last If For-Profit Firms Are Allowed To Strip-Mine Healthcare With Impunity

-- Beaver Times: PA Health Experts Reflect On COVID-Era Missteps As Measles Gains Foothold

-- The Center Square: Waitlist Long For Services Aiding Individuals With Disabilities

-- Law Enforcement

-- WITF: Attorney General Investigation Of Voter Registration Ongoing, 6 Months In

-- WITF: Auditor General Audit Of Automatic Voter Registration Ongoing, Almost 8 Months In

-- Beaver Times: South Side Area School District Challenge To LGBTQ Protections Should Be Tossed, State Officials Say

-- Inquirer: What To Know About President’s Executive Order On Sanctuary Cities That Could Target Philadelphia

-- The Economy

-- WHYY: PA Companies Brace For The Cost Of Retaliatory Tariffs On Products They Export As A Result Of President’s Trade War [PA Companies Exported $3.4 Billion In Products To China In 2024] 

-- TribLive/AP: Steelmaker Cleveland Cliffs To Idle 2 Steel Plants In PA, 1 In Illinois Due To Sluggish Demand, Pricing

-- Financial Times: China Says It Can Live Without US Farm, Energy Goods [PA Exported $3.1 Billion In Farm Products To China In 2023]

-- AP: US Economy Shrinks 0.3% In First Quarter As President’s Trade Wars Disrupt Business 

-- AP: President Says US Kids May Get ‘2 Dolls Instead Of 30,’ But China Will Suffer More In A Trade War 

-- Financial Times: McDonald’s US Sales Drop By Most Since Height Of Pandemic In 2020

-- Wall Street Journal: GM Expects President’s Tariffs To Cost Up To $5 Billion In 2025, Slashes Outlook

-- Other

-- The Center Square: PA Traffic Fatalities Near All-Time Low In 2024

[Posted: May 4, 2025]