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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- The Derrick: List Of Nearly 300 Military Veterans Who Have Died In Venango, Clarion And Forest Counties Since Last Memorial Day

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: DCED Analysis: PA Secured $5.2 Billion In Private Sector Investments, Created 9,500 Jobs

-- Spotlight PA: Pressure From Powerful Hospital Lobby Prompts Lawmakers To Limit Proposed Merger Crackdown

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Has Faith In Penn State Following Decision To Close 7 Campuses

-- TribLive: Gov. Shapiro Blasts Congressional House Republicans For ‘Ripping Away’ Medicaid, Food Stamp From Pennsylvanians

-- Gov. Shapiro Requests Federal Small Business Administration Disaster Aid For Flood Survivors In Somerset County [PaEN] 

-- PEMA: Multi-Agency Resource Center Opens May 22 For Flood Survivors In Somerset County  [PaEN] 

-- AP: Suspect In Governor’s Residence Arson Seeks Delay In Next Court Hearing Due To Mental Health Treatment

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: PA Governor’s Residence Underwent Extensive Security Upgrades Before Last Month’s Arson Attack

-- Budget 2025

-- TribLive: PA Republican Legislators Vow No Tax Increases To Cover Federal Funding Cuts

-- PA Gaming Control Board Reports Nearly 11% Increase In Gambling Revenue Over Last April

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: US House Republican Budget Bill Includes Medicaid, Food Stamp, Tax Cuts Impacting Lancaster, York Counties 

-- PA House/Senate

-- TribLive: PA Republican Legislators Vow No Tax Increases To Cover Federal Funding Cuts

-- Spotlight PA: PA Lawmakers Took $119,000 In Gifts, Trips, More From Those Seeking To Influence Them In 2024

-- Spotlight PA: Pressure From Powerful Hospital Lobby Prompts Lawmakers To Limit Proposed Merger Crackdown

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Don’t Repeat History, Sell US Steel To Nippon Steel - By Sen. Kim Ward

-- US Senate/House

-- PennLive: PA Cong. Meuser Laughed At After Late-Night Fiery ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Speech: ‘Boy That Was Weird’

-- Post-Gazette: From Economic ‘Boom’ To ‘Reckless,’ PA Lawmakers Divided On President’s 

‘Big Beautiful’ Tax Bill

-- Post-Gazette/NYT: Fetterman, Often Absent From US Senate, Says He Has Been Shamed Into Returning

-- Post-Gazette: PA Progressive Group Pressures Fetterman To Resign

-- Statewide Offices

-- Attorney General Sunday Joins Coalition Urging Congress To Address Healthcare Budget Shortfall For ‘Heroes’ Who Responded To 9/11 Attacks  

-- 2025 Elections

-- WHYY: Races For Philly, PA Courts Wrapped Up With Expected Outcomes, With 1 Exception

-- WITF: PA Commonwealth, Superior Court Candidates Advancing To November

-- TribLive Editorial: Voters Ousted Incumbents In Dramatic Primary Races

-- WITF: PA Election Officials Deliver Quiet Night In Complex Election

-- PennLive: These Primary Judicial Races Could Affect Caregiving Statewide

-- Elections

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: More Voters Should Be Allowed To Vote In PA Primaries

-- Spotlight PA: Failed Plot To Steal Local PA Election Shows How Hard It Is To Pull Off Fraud

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Tariffs

-- Williamsport Sun - Guest Essay: White House’s Approach To Tariffs May Bring Serious Consequences To Hardwood Industry - By Scott Seyler, Northland Forest Products, Inc.  

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Nippon Steel, US Steel Mum On Details About Newly Announced Partnership 

-- Post-Gazette: Uncertainty Clouds The Mon Valley As Possible US Steel Deal Takes Shape

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: President Approves ‘Planned Partnership’ Between US Steel And Japan’s Nippon Steel 

-- TribLive: President Approves US Steel Sale To Nippon Steel

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Don’t Repeat History, Sell US Steel To Nippon Steel - By Sen. Kim Ward

-- TribLive Editorial: It’s President’s Move On US Steel Sale

-- Post-Gazette: From Economic ‘Boom’ To ‘Reckless,’ PA Lawmakers Divided On President’s 

‘Big Beautiful’ Tax Bill

-- PennLive: PA Cong. Meuser Laughed At After Late-Night Fiery ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Speech: ‘Boy That Was Weird’

-- TribLive: PA Health Experts Predict Spike In Uninsured Pennsylvanians With US House Bill Medicaid Cuts

-- PennLive Guest Essay: A Clear And Present Danger Is Tucked Into The Big Ugly Federal Budget Bill - By Mark Singel

-- Inside Climate News: Federal Judge Orders President To Restore USDA Climate-Smart Commodities Funding  [Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Was Party In Lawsuit]

-- NPR: Federal Judge Further Halts President’s Executive Orders Shutting Down Offices, Laying Off Thousands Of Workers

-- Post-Gazette: Federal Judge Blocks President’s Order to Dismantle Dept. Of Education, Fire Employees

-- TribLive: Cuts Would Eliminate Federal Local Food Purchase Assistance Program That Directly Benefits PA Farmers, Millions Of Residents

-- PA Capital-Star: Food Banks Call On Congress To Preserve Food Aid For 38,000 Pennsylvania Seniors

-- TribLive: Gov. Shapiro Blasts Congressional House Republicans For ‘Ripping Away’ Medicaid, Food Stamp From Pennsylvanians

-- WITF/LancasterOnline: US House Republican Budget Bill Includes Medicaid, Food Stamp, Tax Cuts Impacting Lancaster, York Counties 

-- Erie Times Guest Essay: DOGE Slashed AmeriCorps - Why The National Service Program Cuts Matter In PA - By State Rep. Dan Miller 

-- Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh Organizations Reeling After AmeriCorps Cuts

-- Tribune-Democrat: Emergency Services Keep Eye On What FEMA Revisions Could Mean: ‘Do The Most Amount Of Good’

-- AP: FEMA’s Acting Chief Says Agency Will Shift More Disaster Recovery Responsibilities To States; Disaster Aid To Be Reduced 

-- NYT: President’s Efforts To Downsize Threaten Essential Functions Americans Rely On Before, During And After Natural Disasters 

-- Bloomberg Guest Essay: We’ve Seen FEMA Unprepared Before, It Didn’t End Well - By Mark Gongloff

-- Rolling Stone: FEMA Denies North Carolina’s Request For Continued Hurricane Helene Aid For Debris Removal   [PDF of Article]

-- RollingStone: Republican US Senator From Missouri Begs For Disaster Aid As FEMA Snubs Another Republican State 

-- New Federal Administration

-- NYT: US Formally Accepts Luxury Jet From Qatar For President For Use As Air Force One 

-- Newsweek: South African President To US President: ‘I Don’t Have A Plane To Give You’ After Being Grilled About False Claims Of White Farmer Genocide

-- AP: President Revoked Harvard University’s Ability To Enroll International Students

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- City & State PA Guest Essay: To Win Again, Democrats Must ‘Make Life Better’ For All Americans - By Malcolm Kenyatta

-- PennLive: Who Made The Most Working In State Jobs In 2024 - Meet The $200,000+ Club: Topping The List Is Chancellor Of State-Owned Universities

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $3.18  Ohio- $3.05  PA- $3.30

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Down 1 to 17

-- House Committee Told PA Needs An Energy Policy, Doing Nothing Means We Are Going To Run Out Of Power; Overreliance On One Fuel-- Gas-- Is Raising Electricity Prices [PaEN]  

-- PA Capital-Star: Lawmakers Hear Testimony On Meeting PA Power Demand: ‘Huge Amount Of Growth’

-- The Center Square: Electric Transmission Upgrades At Crucial Turning Point 

-- Kleinman Center For Energy Policy Blog: Fact-Free US Energy Policy Portends Long-Term Damage To The US - By John Quigley

-- WITF The Spark: Legal Battle Over Carbon Pollution Cap Could Shape Pennsylvania’s Energy Future 

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: With Soaring Summer Temps Ahead, A.I. Data Centers Could Strain Electricity Supplies In The Delaware Valley

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: TECfusions Unveils Plans For Massive Data Center, A.I. Campus, Up To 3 Gigawatt Natural Gas Power Plants At Former Alcoa Site In Westmoreland County  [PDF of Article]  

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Data Centers Can Be A Boon, But Shouldn’t Go Unchecked Locally

-- PUC Urges Electricity Customers To Start Shopping, Conserve Energy To Help Avoid Impact Of June 1 Rate Increases Of Between 5% and 16% On Most Electric Bills  [PaEN]

-- PUC To Investigate Proposed 18.4% Rate + 37.5% Customer Charge Increase By Wellsboro Electric; 18% Gas Increase + 13.4% Customer Charge Increase For Valley Energy Gas; 11% Rate + 26% Customer Charge Increase For Citizens' Electric  [PaEN] 

-- LancasterOnline: How PPL, Met-Ed Customers May Be Able To Duck June 1 Electricity Price Hikes

-- The Citizens Voice: Local Electric Rates To Increase June 1; PUC Offers Cost-Saving Tips

-- The Conversation Guest Essay: Why Your Electricity Bill Is So High And What Pennsylvania Is Doing About It - By Hannah Wiseman and Seth Blumsack From Penn State University  [Data Center Demand, Rising Fuel Costs] 

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: Is Your Electric Bill Too High?  Thank LNG Gas Exports - By Lt.. General Russel L. Honore (Retired)  [Stop Selling LNG To Our Competitors]

--  Bloomberg: Natural Gas Power Plants Cheaper To Buy Than Build To Satisfy A.I. Data Centers’ Thirst For Energy [Taking Power Off The Grid For ‘Ordinary People’]

-- Bloomberg: New Fortress LNG Exporter Disqualified from Puerto Rico Auction; Company Value Has Fallen 80% This Year  [Company Pursuing LNG Projects In PA]

-- US DOE Releases Response To Comments On 2024 LNG Gas Export Study Saying No Discernible Impact On Climate Emissions, Minimizing Impacts On Prices [DOE Said The Opposite In December ] 

-- The Hill: US DOE Now Says LNG Gas Export Environmental Impacts ‘Outside’ Its Authority

-- Reuters: US Natural Gas Prices Fall Into Negative Territory In Texas Due To Pipeline Maintenance

-- Flooding

-- PEMA: Multi-Agency Resource Center Opens May 22 For Flood Survivors In Somerset County  [PaEN] 

-- Gov. Shapiro Requests Federal Small Business Administration Disaster Aid For Flood Survivors In Somerset County [PaEN] 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Flood Relief Resource Center Planned In Meyersdale 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Somerset County Commissioners Outline Disaster Recovery Fund Plan, Make $10,000  Donation 

-- NYT: President’s Efforts To Downsize Threaten Essential Functions Americans Rely On Before, During And After Natural Disasters 

-- Tribune-Democrat: Emergency Services Keep Eye On What FEMA Revisions Could Mean: ‘Do The Most Amount Of Good’

-- AP: FEMA’s Acting Chief Says Agency Will Shift More Disaster Recovery Responsibilities To States; Disaster Aid To Be Reduced 

-- NYT: President’s Efforts To Downsize Threaten Essential Functions Americans Rely On Before, During And After Natural Disasters 

-- Bloomberg Guest Essay: We’ve Seen FEMA Unprepared Before, It Didn’t End Well - By Mark Gongloff

-- Rolling Stone: FEMA Denies North Carolina’s Request For Continued Hurricane Helene Aid For Debris Removal   [PDF of Article]

-- RollingStone: Republican US Senator From Missouri Begs For Disaster Aid As FEMA Snubs Another Republican State 

-- Storm Damage/Power Outages

-- TribLive: Duquesne Light, West Penn Power Officials Grilled At Hearing Over Days-Long Power Outages  

-- WESA: PA Lawmakers Question Pittsburgh-Area Utilities On April 20 Storm Response, Power Outages

-- WESA: Allegheny County Council Launches Committee To Review Storm Preparedness

-- PUC Marks National Electrical Safety Month With Urgent Storm Safety Message 

-- Three Mile Island Restart/Data Centers

-- House Committee Told PA Needs An Energy Policy, Doing Nothing Means We Are Going To Run Out Of Power; Overreliance On One Fuel-- Gas-- Is Raising Electricity Prices [PaEN]  

-- PA Capital-Star: Lawmakers Hear Testimony On Meeting PA Power Demand: ‘Huge Amount Of Growth’

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: As Pittsburgh Faces Electricity Rate Hike Of 15%, PA Lawmakers Ratchet Up Debate On Energy Sources

-- The Center Square: Electric Transmission Upgrades At Crucial Turning Point 

-- WHYY - Susan Phillips: With Soaring Summer Temps Ahead, A.I. Data Centers Could Strain Electricity Supplies In The Delaware Valley

-- PUC Urges Electricity Customers To Start Shopping, Conserve Energy To Help Avoid Impact Of June 1 Rate Increases Of Between 5% and 16% On Most Electric Bills  [PaEN]

-- PUC To Investigate Proposed 18.4% Rate + 37.5% Customer Charge Increase By Wellsboro Electric; 18% Gas Increase + 13.4% Customer Charge Increase For Valley Energy Gas; 11% Rate + 26% Customer Charge Increase For Citizens' Electric  [PaEN] 

-- LancasterOnline: How PPL, Met-Ed Customers May Be Able To Duck June 1 Electricity Price Hikes

-- The Citizens Voice: Local Electric Rates To Increase June 1; PUC Offers Cost-Saving Tips

-- The Conversation Guest Essay: Why Your Electricity Bill Is So High And What Pennsylvania Is Doing About It - By Hannah Wiseman and Seth Blumsack From Penn State University  [Data Center Demand, Rising Fuel Costs] 

-- WPost - Salena Zito: I Have Seen The Future Of A.I. Data Centers, It’s In Western Pennsylvania  [Homer City Project] 

-- Scranton Times: A.I. Data Centers Could Reshape Landscape In NE PA

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: TECfusions Unveils Plans For Massive Data Center, A.I. Campus, Up To 3 Gigawatt Natural Gas Power Plants At Former Alcoa Site In Westmoreland County  [PDF of Article]  

-- Republican Herald Editorial: Data Centers Can Be A Boon, But Shouldn’t Go Unchecked Locally

--  Bloomberg: Natural Gas Power Plants Cheaper To Buy Than Build To Satisfy A.I. Data Centers’ Thirst For Energy [Taking Power Off The Grid For ‘Ordinary People’]

-- Utility Dive: ICF Consulting Sees 25% Electricity Load Growth By 2030 Driving Up To 40% Increase In Residential Electricity Rates

-- Education

-- MCall Guest Essay: Guns Are Here To Stay In US, That’s An Opportunity Not A Threat - By Bill Brown, Saucon Valley School District Director

-- TribLive: Penn State Votes To Close 7 Campuses: New Kensington, Fayette, DuBois, Mont Alto, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York In 2027

--TribLive: Experts Say Penn State’s Campus Closures Face The Harsh Reality Of A Changed Higher Education Landscape

-- PA Capital-Star: Shapiro Has Faith In Penn State Following Decision To Close 7 Campuses

-- TribLive: Campus Closures: Necessary Move Or De Facto Removal? Penn State Clashes With Its Land-Grant Mission

-- TribLive Editorial: Penn State Trustees Did Not Take Time To Explore Options In Closing Campuses

-- Inquirer: Some Republican Lawmakers Pushing Back On Penn State’s Plan To Close Campuses; Could That Jeopardize Its State Funding?

-- Post-Gazette: Federal Judge Blocks President’s Order to Dismantle Dept. Of Education, Fire Employees

-- AP: President Revoked Harvard University’s Ability To Enroll International Students

-- Health Care

-- Spotlight PA: Pressure From Powerful Hospital Lobby Prompts Lawmakers To Limit Proposed Merger Crackdown

-- TribLive: PA Health Experts Predict Spike In Uninsured Pennsylvanians With US House Bill Medicaid Cuts

-- The Center Square: Report Details Financial Toll Of Opioid Use

-- Post-Gazette: 2 Pittsburgh-Area Nursing Homes Ordered To Pay More Than $15 Million For Health Care Fraud

-- TribLive: How Do You Navigate New COVID Vaccine Guidance?  We Asked The Experts

-- Law Enforcement

-- MCall Guest Essay: Guns Are Here To Stay In US, That’s An Opportunity Not A Threat - By Bill Brown, Saucon Valley School District Director

-- WHYY: Bucks County Commissioners Say Sheriff Does Not Have Power To Sign Agreement With Federal ICE

-- Inquirer: Legal Battle Looms As Bucks County Commissioners Reject Sheriff’s Alliance With Federal ICE

-- The Economy

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: DCED Analysis: PA Secured $5.2 Billion In Private Sector Investments, Created 9,500 Jobs

-- TribLive: Penn State Votes To Close 7 Campuses: New Kensington, Fayette, DuBois, Mont Alto, Shenango, Wilkes-Barre and York In 2027

-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Nippon Steel, US Steel Mum On Details About Newly Announced Partnership 

-- Post-Gazette: Uncertainty Clouds The Mon Valley As Possible US Steel Deal Takes Shape

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: President Approves ‘Planned Partnership’ Between US Steel And Japan’s Nippon Steel 

-- TribLive: President Approves US Steel Sale To Nippon Steel

-- Post-Gazette: Report: Federal Panel Remains Divided On US Steel Deal, President’s Decision Awaits

-- Post-Gazette - Anya Litvak: Nippon And US Steel Await Latest National Security Review 

-- Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Don’t Repeat History, Sell US Steel To Nippon Steel - By Sen. Kim Ward

-- TribLive Editorial: It’s President’s Move On US Steel Sale

-- Other

-- WNEP: Allentown Diocese Helping Fund Costly Repairs After Explosives Attack At Schuylkill County Church

[Posted: May 25, 2025]