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 Signs Executive Order Requiring A.I. Data Center Developers To Sign Consent Order Binding Them To Comply With GRID Principals, Including Clean Energy; DEP Will Not Review Permits Until Communities Give Their Approval  [PaEN] 

-- TheDerrick.com: Gov. Shapiro Invites Public To Provide Information To State On A.I. Data Center Development In Their Communities Thru New Webpage  [PaEN] 

-- WESA: Shapiro, PA Officials Continue To Press Fight Against President’s Mail-In Ballot Restrictions; Nothing Has Changed In PA Mail-In Ballot Rules

-- The Hill: Gov. Shapiro On President’s Canada Tariffs: President Chooses ‘Chaos And Cruelty’ 

-- Spotlight PA: Shapiro Hires Ex-Administration Official To Help Counter President’s ‘Attacks’

-- TribLive Editorial: Politics Muddles Measles Message

-- Race For Governor

-- WHYY: What To Know About The Governor’s Race Between Josh Shapiro And Stacy Garrity

-- WPSU: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Proposes To ‘Unleash’ The PA Natural Gas Industry To Improve Energy Affordability

-- PennLive: Franklin & Marshall College Poll Finds 59% Of PA Voters Think President Is Doing A Poor Job;  Shapiro Holds 50% to 25% Lead Over Garrity

-- Inquirer: Shapiro Has 16 Point Lead In Governor’s Race, Most PA Democrats Would Support Him For President; Republican Candidate Garrity Still Unknown To Many Republicans

-- City And State PA: A.I. Data Centers Are Dominating Pennsylvania’s Gubernatorial Race

-- Erie Times/USA Today: Shapiro’s Data Center Order Draws Criticism From Garrity

-- TribLive: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Calls For Shapiro To Return $5.7 Million In Data Center-Related Campaign Donations, Shapiro Responds

-- The Center Square: Shapiro Sides With Public On A.I. Data Centers; Some Say He Is Late

-- PA House/Senate

-- TribLive Guest Essay: PA Senate Must Stop Making Child Abuse Survivors Wait - By Chris Kirchner, Children’s Advocacy Centers Of PA 

-- Erie Times/USA Today: PA House Races That May Decide Control Of State Government In 2026

-- Axios Pittsburgh: Independent Jodi Borello Bets On A.I. Data Center Issue In State Senate Race Against Incumbent Republican In Washington County 

-- WITF: PA ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Could Disappear In October, Businesses, Private, Nonprofit Organizations That Rely On Them Are Worried 

-- Beaver Times: 70,000 PA ‘Skill’ Gambling Games Trace Roots To This One ‘Controlled Buy’

-- US House/Senate

-- The Center Square: Battleground PA Congressional Candidates Weigh In On Shapiro’s Data Center Executive Order

-- TribLive: PA US Senator Fetterman Pushes Back On ‘Political Pandering’ On A.I. Data Centers, Reiterates His Support

-- PennLive: Scrapple Poll Shows Fetterman’s Problems With PA Democrats Just Keep Getting Worse

-- TribLive: New Poll Shows PA Republicans Have Higher Opinion Of Democrat John Fettermand Than Republican Dave McCormick

-- Statewide Offices

-- Attorney General Sunday Announces Settlement With Meta [Facebook] That Could Yield Up To $729 Million For PA In Coming Years 

-- Attorney General Sunday Announces Lawsuit Against Snapchat For Failures To Protect Children From Compulsive Use 

-- Special Elections

-- TribLive: Democratic Upset In PA House Race In Red Butler County Could Point To Broader Political Shifts 

-- Post-Gazette: Democrat Holds 97 Vote Lead In PA House Seat Held By Republicans For Decades In Butler County

-- 2026 Elections

-- WHYY: How To Request, Fill Out And Return Your PA Mail-In Ballot 

-- WESA: Shapiro, PA Officials Continue To Press Fight Against President’s Mail-In Ballot Restrictions; Nothing Has Changed In PA Mail-In Ballot Rules

-- City And State PA: A.I. Data Centers Are Dominating Pennsylvania’s Gubernatorial Race

-- Axios Pittsburgh: Independent Jodi Borello Bets On A.I. Data Center Issue In State Senate Race Against Incumbent Republican In Washington County 

-- Spotlight PA: A.I. Data Centers Are ‘Redefining’ Midterm Election Races Across Pennsylvania 

-- Washington Post: See The Moment When Republican Politicians Turned Against A.I. Data Centers 

-- AP: President Keeps Embracing A.I. Data Centers Even As They Become Toxic In Midterm Election Races 

-- New York Times: The A.I. Data Center Backlash Bursts Into The Midterm Elections

-- Elections

-- TribLive Editorial: Saying Sorry Won’t Fix Election Damage From Those Who Violate The Law 

-- TribLive/AP: Federal Judge Again Blocks President’s Mail-In Ballot Executive Order In Ruling Likely To Be Swiftly Appealed

-- WHYY/AP: US Supreme Court Clears Way For President’s Mail Voting Order To Allow Postal Service To Refuse To Deliver Ballots In States Not Complying With Order; Appears To Leave Room For Additional Challenges 

-- AP: Noncitizen Voting Claims Animated President’s Attacks On Midterm Elections And Set Up Potential Challenges To Results [PA Included]

-- President’s War On Iran

-- August 30: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Same As Yesterday To $4.21/Gallon [Up 6 Cents This Week]  - $1.10/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Warren County Average Price Again Highest at $4.39]

-- August 30: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.07  Ohio- $3.86  PA- $4.21

-- Feb. 27: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $2.98  Ohio- $2.79  PA- $3.11

-- KYW: Rising Diesel Prices Put Pressure On PA School Districts, Transportation Budgets

-- Republican Herald Editorial: President’s War Of Choice In Iran Is Straining The Armed Forces For Nothing 

-- Protesting The President

-- PennLive: Franklin & Marshall College Poll Finds 59% Of PA Voters Think President Is Doing A Poor Job;  Shapiro Holds 50% to 25% Lead Over Garrity

-- Inquirer: Poll: Young PA Voters Frustrated With President As They Grapple With ‘The Cost Of Continuing To Exist’ 

-- Republican Herald Editorial: President Sells Access To Social Media Posts; No Investigators In Sight

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Tariffs/Trade

-- Inquirer: PA Caught In Crossfire Of President’s Trade Dispute With Canada: ‘We’ll Definitely Feel’ The New Tariffs

-- Wall Street Journal Editorial: The Dumbest Trade War - Revisited [President’s Tariffs On Canada] 

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- PA Capital-Star: Food Banks Across PA Are Struggling To Keep Up In The Face Of Food Stamp Cuts, Economic Pain

-- City & State PA: PA’s Health Insurance Marketplace Suffers Massive Decline In Enrollment

-- Tribune-Democrat: PA Farm Bureau Official Calls President’s Beef Import Plan ‘Misguided’ 

-- The Allegheny Front: PA Cattle Industry Concerned About President’s Beef Imports: ‘It Makes Basically No Sense’ ‘It’s Going To Hurt’ American Farmers 

-- WESA: Haitian Community In Washington County Makes Emergency Plans As President’s ICE Steps Up Enforcement In Other Regions

-- New Federal Administration

-- TribLive/AP: President Loses Again In Bid To Erase His 34 Count Felony Hush Money Conviction

-- National Review: Lake America? Spare Us From Yet Another Pointless, Stupid Publicity Stunt By America’s Flailing President; Rename Lake Erie, Nobody Likes Lake Erie  [A Conservative Publication] 

-- TribLive/AP: Seneca Nation Calls On President To Reverse Lake America Executive Order 

-- Miscellaneous State/Harrisburg Politics

-- TribLive Editorial: Government Has To Let You Speak But Does It Have To Listen?

-- The Center Square: Philadelphia A Finalist To Host 2028 Democratic National Convention

-- A.I. /Data Centers

-- Gov. Shapiro Signs Executive Order Requiring A.I. Data Center Developers To Sign Consent Order Binding Them To Comply With GRID Principals, Including Clean Energy; DEP Will Not Review Permits Until Communities Give Their Approval  [PaEN] 

-- TheDerrick.com: Gov. Shapiro Invites Public To Provide Information To State On A.I. Data Center Development In Their Communities Thru New Webpage  [PaEN] 

-- Guest Essay: Abandoned Oil & Gas Wells Pose Hidden Threats To A.I. Data Center Development - A Proposed Site In Washington County Is Just One Example - By Marci Michalski, Burgettstown, Washington County  [PaEN] 

-- Governor’s Office To Brief DEP Citizens Advisory Council On Governor’s Data Center Executive Order Sept. 1  [PaEN] 

-- PennLive: Franklin & Marshall College Poll Finds 79% Of PA Voters Oppose An A.I. Data Center In Their Communities

-- Inquirer: New Poll Of PA Likely Voters Finds 62% Oppose A.I. Data Center Construction 

-- Scranton Times: PPL Utilities Joint Venture Buys 7,200 Acres Of Land For Massive Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants In Lackawanna County  [PDF of Article]  

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - August 24 & 31  [PaEN] 

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- August 30: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Same As Yesterday To $4.21/Gallon [Up 6 Cents This Week]  - $1.10/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Warren County Average Price Again Highest at $4.39]

-- August 30: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.07  Ohio- $3.86  PA- $4.21

-- Feb. 27: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $2.98  Ohio- $2.79  PA- $3.11

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs Still At 16

-- KYW: Rising Diesel Prices Put Pressure On PA School Districts, Transportation Budgets

-- WPSU: Republican Candidate For Governor Stacy Garrity Proposes To ‘Unleash’ The PA Natural Gas Industry To Improve Energy Affordability

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: PA Lawmakers Should Look To Renewable Energy, Not Fossil Fuels For Energy Affordability, Says New Policy Playbook

-- PA Capital-Star: Rising Energy, Fuel Costs Cut Into Bottom Line For PA Businesses; Republicans Want To ‘Unleash’ Natural Gas Industry 

-- Scranton Times: PPL Utilities Joint Venture Buys 7,200 Acres Of Land For Massive Natural Gas Data Center Power Plants In Lackawanna County  [PDF of Article]  

-- Scranton Times: Norwegian Company To Spend $940 Million On Stake In 1,485 MW Lackawanna Energy Center Natural Gas Plant In Jessup Based On A.I. Data Center Demands  [Not For The Public]

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - August 24 & 31  [PaEN] 

-- Bloomberg: Natural Gas Eclipses Oil As Key Inflation Risk In Europe

-- Natural Resources Defense Council: How The President’s Policies Are Hiking Electric Bills, Destroying Investments

-- Utility Dive: NRDC: President’s Energy Policies Could Cost US 540 GW Of New Renewable Energy Generation At A Time When Supply Chain Delays, Cost Increases Add Uncertainty To Whether Natural Gas Power Plants Will Be Built   

-- Flooding

-- PEMA: Shapiro Administration Secures SBA Low-Interest Loans, Activates State Disaster Grants For Those Impacted By July 28 Flooding In Clearfield, Blair, Cambria, Cameron, Centre, Clinton, Elk, Indiana, Jefferson Counties 

-- PEMA: Multi-Agency Resource Center Opens Today [Aug. 26] In Lancaster For Residents, Businesses Affected by Aug. 20 Storms/Tornadoes In Lancaster/York Counties

-- LancasterOnline: State Agencies To Open Resource Center In Columbia Wednesday [Aug. 26] To Help Those In Lancaster/York Counties Impacted By Last Week’s Tornados  

-- WTAE: Massive PA American Water Main Break Causes Damage In Baldwin Borough, Allegheny County

-- Train Derailments

-- EPA: Vice President Vance, EPA Request Independent EPA Inspector General Investigation Into Decisions Made In  Norfolk Southern Train Derailment Response By EPA, State Of Ohio, Norfolk Southern

-- Education

-- NextPittsburgh: Official A.I. Use Policies At Western PA Universities Are To Be Determined 

-- Health Care

-- City & State PA: PA’s Health Insurance Marketplace Suffers Massive Decline In Enrollment

-- TribLive: PA Officials Cite 2 ‘Measles-Associated Deaths’ In Lancaster County, But The Coroner There Counts 0

-- TribLive: Shapiro, Kennedy Spat Politicizes Public Health Response To Measles, Disease Expert Says

-- LancasterOnline: 2 Unvaccinated People Have Died From Measles In Lancaster County

-- TribLive: 2 Unvaccinated People Die In Growing Measles Outbreak, First PA Fatalities In 35 Years

-- TribLive/Inquirer: RFJ Jr. Questions Whether PA Measles Deaths Were ‘Fabricated’ As State Reports Newborn Baby Was 1 Of 2 Cases 

-- WESA: Measles Case Reported In Pittsburgh As Statewide Outbreak Continues

-- TribLive Editorial: 1 Case Of Measles Matters

-- TribLive Editorial: Politics Muddles Measles Message

-- Law Enforcement

-- TribLive Guest Essay: PA Senate Must Stop Making Child Abuse Survivors Wait - By Chris Kirchner, Children’s Advocacy Centers Of PA 

-- WESA: Haitian Community In Washington County Makes Emergency Plans As President’s ICE Steps Up Enforcement In Other Regions

-- Inquirer: Philly Federal Court Is 8th Federal Court To Rule President’s Mandatory Detention Of Nearly All Undocumented Immigrants Is Unlawful

-- The Economy

-- TribLive/The Center Square: Report: 4 Member Family In Pennsylvania Needs $248,000 To Live Comfortably

-- Inquirer: PA Caught In Crossfire Of President’s Trade Dispute With Canada: ‘We’ll Definitely Feel’ The New Tariffs

-- Wall Street Journal Editorial: The Dumbest Trade War - Revisited [President’s Tariffs On Canada] 

[Posted: August 30, 2026]