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

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- 2026 Election Results

-- PA Election Results: Democrats Now Control PA Senate, Retain PA House, Governor’s Office  [PaEN] 

-- WeConservePA: Voters Approved 3 Local Ballot Measures Resulting In $182 Million In New Open Space Investments  [PaEN] 

-- The Allegheny Front: With Control Of PA Senate, House, Governor’s Office, How Will Democrats Lead On Energy And The Environment?

-- Rep. Fiedler, PA House Energy Committee Democratic Chair: Pennsylvania Must Act On Energy Affordability, Modernizing Energy Infrastructure, Data Centers Must Pay Their Way  [PaEN]

-- Williamsport Sun: Republican Senate Environmental Chair Gene Yaw Expects To Work With Democrat Majority [His Priorities: Legalizing Recreational Marijuana; Not Destroying The Natural Gas Industry; Legalizing Skill Games]  [Warning]

-- The Center Square: A.I. Data Center Disgust Played Significant Role In State Senate Flip, Winners Say  [Comment: It Wasn’t $15 Minimum Wage That Flipped These Seats] 

-- Warren Times: A.I. Data Center Disgust Played Significant Role In State Senate Flip, Winners Say 

-- Bradford Era: A.I. Data Center Disgust Played Significant Role In State Senate Flip, Winners Say 

-- Carlisle Sentinel: A.I. Data Center Disgust Played Significant Role In State Senate Flip, Winners Say 

-- Williamsport Sun: Disgust With A.I. Data Centers Played Huge Role In State Senate Flip, Winners Say 

-- Scranton Times Chris Kelly Opinion: ‘Blue Tsunami’ Surfs ‘Purple Undertow’ Of Data Center Resistance 

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Data Centers, Energy Costs, Fracking Issues Loom As Democrats Finally Get Full Control Of PA Legislature 

-- BBC: Associated Press Poll Finds 56% Of 79,000 Midterm Election Voters Surveyed Said Data Centers Were A ‘Crucial or Major’ Factor In Their Votes 

-- Altoona Mirror: A.I. Data Centers Took Beating In Midterm Elections

-- AP: A.I. Data Centers Took A Beating In Midterm Elections, Played Key Role In Flipping Seats To Democrats In State Legislatures [PA Included]

-- TribLive: Western PA Voters Question Whether Midterm Election  Results Will Make A Difference [Data Centers, Skill Games, End Name-Calling, End Focus On Culture Issues - Comment: No One Mentioned $15 Minimum Wage]

-- TribLive Editorial: What Is The Message Of PA’s Trifecta? If There Aren’t Solutions To Data Centers, Skill Games, State Budget It’s All On Democrats Now 

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader Editorial: A Message To The Region’s New And Returning Lawmakers - We Need Competence, Cooperation, Civil Disagreement

-- Morning Call Opinion - Bill White: Election Less A ‘Blue Wave’ Than An ‘Orange Crush’ As Voters Repudiate President

-- York Daily Record/USA Today: PA Democrats Have The Votes In Senate, House, Here’s What They Want To Change - Minimum Wage, Boosting Education, Expanding Health Care, Legalize Marijuana [PA Senate Democrats Mentioned Data Centers]

-- City & State PA: Gov. Shapiro Lays Out Priorities With New Mandate In Harrisburg: Raising Minimum Wage, Codifying Abortion Rights In Constitution, Mass Transit Funding, Housing Investments 

-- PennLive: PA Dems Won Big, First Priority Is Increasing Minimum Wage To $15, Putting Right To An Abortion In State Constitution, Mass Transit Funding, Build More Housing

-- PA Capital-Star: What Will PA Democrats Do With A Trifecta In Harrisburg: Increase Minimum Wage To $15, Putting Right To An Abortion In State Constitution, Paid Family Leave

-- Post-Gazette: Shapiro Claims He Was Key To PA Democrats’ Success In The Election, Is He Right?  [Comment: Anti-Data Center, Energy Cost Issues Flipped 4 State Senate Seats To Democrats]

-- PA Capital-Star: As Democrats Gain Power In PA, Some Business Leaders Wonder About Moderation [PA Chamber Says Raising Minimum Wage Requires ‘Nuance’]

-- AP: Latino Voters Swing Left In Midterm Elections Lifting Democrats To Wins In Texas, Pennsylvania Over Immigration And Economic Concerns About Making Ends Meet 

-- The Center Square: PA Republicans Blame Washington DC For Pennsylvania’s Blue Wave  [Forgetting About Data Centers, Energy Costs]

-- Post-Gazette: How Republican State Sen. Bartolotta, Besieged From All Sides, Survived A Grueling Year In American Politics

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- Post-Gazette: Shapiro Claims He Was Key To PA Democrats’ Success In The Election, Is He Right?  [Comment: Anti-Data Center, Energy Cost Issues Flipped 4 State Senate Seats To Democrats]

-- Politico: What Josh Shapiro Could Lose By Winning

-- PennLive: Shapiro Says He’s Open To The Idea Of Instituting A National Popular Vote

-- Inside Climate News - Kyle Bagenstose: Will Josh Shapiro’s A.I. Data Center Past Haunt His Political Future?

-- Race For Governor

-- The Center Square: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Stacy Garrity Says ‘Pennsylvania’s Best Days Are Ahead Of Us’

-- Post-Gazette: Shapiro Claims He Was Key To PA Democrats’ Success In The Election, Is He Right?  [Comment: Anti-Data Center, Energy Cost Issues Flipped 4 State Senate Seats To Democrats]

-- Budget 2027

-- Dept. Of Revenue Reports PA October Tax Revenue $132.9 Million (3.4%) Above Governor’s Estimates; Year-To-Date $662.3 Million (4.5%) Above Governor’s Estimates

-- Independent Fiscal Office October State Tax Revenue $119 Million (3%) Above IFO Estimates; Year-To-Date $571 Million (3.9%) Over IFO Estimates

-- PA House/Senate

-- PA Election Results: Democrats Now Control PA Senate, Retain PA House, Governor’s Office  [PaEN] 

-- Spotlight PA: PA Democrats Poised To Have 13-Seat Majority In House

-- WHYY: There Will Be No More Republicans Representing Chester, Delaware, Montgomery Counties In PA Senate, House

-- LancasterOnline: Democrat Declares Victory In PA House Race Against Incumbent Republican, By 30 Votes

-- Capital & Main - Audrey Carleton: Can An Independent State Senate Candidate Turn Pennsylvania Senate Blue [Jodi Borello v. Sen. Bartolotta]

-- Post-Gazette: How Republican State Sen. Bartolotta, Besieged From All Sides, Survived A Grueling Year In American Politics

-- US House/Senate

-- PennLive: Democrats’ US Senate Majority Makes Fettermand ‘Irrelevant’

-- Statewide Offices

-- PA Capital-Star: Attorney General Sunday Launches Effort to Prevent Cryptocurrency Scams At Bitcoin ATMS

-- National Elections

-- AP: Voters Fear The America They’ve Known Is Slipping Away, On That The Left And Right Agree

-- President’s War On Iran

-- November 8: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Down 8 Cents Since Last Sunday - $4.35/Gallon - $1.24/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Beaver County $4.64 Highest Average Price] 

-- November 8: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.02  Ohio- $3.83  PA- $4.35

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

-- Inquirer: A Hard Winter Is Coming For PA Homes That Heat With Oil  

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Dept. Of Human Services Now Accepting Applications For Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 

-- Wall Street Journal: President Pushes To Restore Russian Natural Gas Sales To Europe Via Ukraine

-- Financial Times: Petrol Prices Set To Hit Record High Under President’s Administration

-- PA Impacts Of President’s Policies

-- TribLive: President’s Dept. Of Justice Sues Penn State Over In-State Tuition Policy For Undocumented Students

-- Inquirer: PA Police Rushing To Help President’s ICE With Immigration Enforcement, Agreements Have Nearly Doubled In 6 Months

-- TribLive: President’s ICE Rewarded Butler County Sheriff’s Office With $200,000 For Its Help: Here’s What It Bought; Immigrant Advocate Says It’s ‘Blood Money’

-- Federal Administration

-- Financial Times: What 21 Months Of The President’s Administration Have Done To America 

-- A.I./Data Center Politics

-- PA Election Results: Democrats Now Control PA Senate, Retain PA House, Governor’s Office  [PaEN] 

-- Rep. Fiedler, PA House Energy Committee Democratic Chair: Pennsylvania Must Act On Energy Affordability, Modernizing Energy Infrastructure, Data Centers Must Pay Their Way  [PaEN]

-- Williamsport Sun: Republican Senate Environmental Chair Gene Yaw Expects To Work With Democrat Majority [His Priorities: Legalizing Recreational Marijuana; Not Destroying The Natural Gas Industry; Legalizing Skill Games]  [Warning]

-- The Allegheny Front: With Control Of PA Senate, House, Governor’s Office, How Will Democrats Lead On Energy And The Environment?

-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Data Centers, Energy Costs, Fracking Issues Loom As Democrats Finally Get Full Control Of PA Legislature

-- Scranton Times Chris Kelly Opinion: ‘Blue Tsunami’ Surfs ‘Purple Undertow’ Of Data Center Resistance 

-- AP: A.I. Data Centers Took A Beating In Midterm Elections, Played Key Role In Flipping Seats To Democrats In State Legislatures [PA Included]

-- TribLive Editorial: What Is The Message Of PA’s Trifecta? If There Aren’t Solutions To Data Centers, Skill Games, State Budget It’s All On Democrats Now 

-- A.I. /Data Centers

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - November 9 [PaEN]

-- WPSU: What To Know About PA’s Data Center Tax Exemption And The Shifting Attitudes Surrounding It [Taxpayers Will Lose $1.9 Billion In Revenue From 2024 to 2031] 

-- PJM Interconnection Winter Outlook: Power Supplies Should Be Available To Meet Expected Cold Weather Conditions  [PaEN] 

-- Inquirer: A Hard Winter Is Coming For PA Homes That Heat With Oil  

-- ABC27: PPL Electric To Increase Default Customer Power Price 10.3% Starting Dec. 1 To 14.428 Cents/kWh From 13.079 Cents/kWh [Utilities Make No Profit On Default Power]

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Dept. Of Human Services Now Accepting Applications For Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 

-- PUC Updates Comment Schedule On New Tools To Manage Data Centers During Emergency Periods Of Strained Electricity Supplies And Curtailments To Maintain Grid Reliability; Nov. 17 Technical Conference On Data Center Costs  [PaEN]

-- Shapiro Administration: PJM Interconnection Selects 3 PA Projects In Expedited Program To Add 1.7 GW Of Generation, Energy Storage To Grid; DEP Accepting New Proposals By Nov. 16  [PaEN] 

-- WFMZ: PPL Joint Venture Invitium Energy Announces Agreement To Supply 2 GW Of Power To QTS Data Center Project In Salem Twp., Luzerne County 

-- Utility Dive: PJM’s Revised Backstop Power Procurement Plan Could Be For As Little As 630 MW, Down From 6,800 MW Due To Revised Utility Load Forecasts

-- Reuters: PJM Grid Tackles A.I. Data Center Power Costs In Race To Avoid Shortfalls, Higher Prices

-- Utility Dive: President’s Order Banning Foreign Grid Components Sparks Industry Concern Over Cost, Practicality  [Warning]

-- South Mountain Partnership Issues White Paper On Potential Impacts Of A.I. Data Centers, Finds Them Incompatible With Some Regional Economic, Natural Resource Goals  [PaEN]

-- Landgate Report Counts 199 A.I. Data Centers Under Development In Pennsylvania 

-- International/National Impacts On PA Natural Gas

-- PA Election Results: Democrats Now Control PA Senate, Retain PA House, Governor’s Office  [PaEN] 

-- Rep. Fiedler, PA House Energy Committee Democratic Chair: Pennsylvania Must Act On Energy Affordability, Modernizing Energy Infrastructure, Data Centers Must Pay Their Way  [PaEN]

-- Williamsport Sun: Republican Senate Environmental Chair Gene Yaw Expects To Work With Democrat Majority [His Priorities: Legalizing Recreational Marijuana; Not Destroying The Natural Gas Industry; Legalizing Skill Games]  [Warning]

-- November 8: PA Average AAA Gasoline Price Down 8 Cents Since Last Sunday - $4.35/Gallon - $1.24/Gallon Higher Than On Feb. 27 [Beaver County $4.64 Highest Average Price] 

-- November 8: Average AAA Gasoline Prices: National- $4.02  Ohio- $3.83  PA- $4.35

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

-- Inquirer: A Hard Winter Is Coming For PA Homes That Heat With Oil  

-- Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Dept. Of Human Services Now Accepting Applications For Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 

-- PJM Interconnection Winter Outlook: Power Supplies Should Be Available To Meet Expected Cold Weather Conditions  [PaEN] 

-- In Case You Missed It: A.I./Data Center Articles - NewClips From Last Week - November 9 [PaEN]

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rigs - 15 - Same As Last Nine Weeks

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: How Will EQT’s Plan To Buy Range Resources Affect Natural Gas Market?  [Data Centers, Price Shaped By Global Events] 

-- Wall Street Journal: President Pushes To Restore Russian Natural Gas Sales To Europe Via Ukraine

-- Financial Times: President’s Diesel Fuel Deal With Russia Falters As 2 Tanks Change Course Away From US 

-- Financial Times: Petrol Prices Set To Hit Record High Under President’s Administration

-- Flooding

-- FEMA/PEMA Now Accepting Applications For Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants  [PaEN] 

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Southwest PA Flood Victims Eligible For Federal Low-Interest Loans 

-- DEP Briefing: Overview Of Draft Chapter 105 Changes Highlighting New Waivers, Replacement Of Impacted Resources, Stream Debris Maintenance  [PaEN]  

-- TribLive: PennFuture Unveils Model Riparian Buffer Ordinance As Warehouses, Data Centers, Natural Gas Facilities Transform PA Land  

-- Kittatinny Ridge Landscape: New Report Shows Open Spaces, Natural Systems In Cumberland County Contribute Almost $1.3 Billion In Annual Economic Benefits, Savings  [PaEN] 

-- Education

-- WVIA: Susquehanna University Announces Free Tuition For Eligible Students With Family Income Of Up To $100,000 In 10 PA Counties  

-- TribLive: President’s Dept. Of Justice Sues Penn State Over In-State Tuition Policy For Undocumented Students

-- Health Care

-- PA Capital-Star: In Warren County, PA A Reflection Of Rural Healthcare’s Turmoil

-- WHYY: Researchers Raise Concerns About Online Gambling Risks For Young Pennsylvanians

-- Law Enforcement

-- PA Capital-Star: Attorney General Sunday Launches Effort to Prevent Cryptocurrency Scams At Bitcoin ATMS

-- Inquirer: PA Police Rushing To Help President’s ICE With Immigration Enforcement, Agreements Have Nearly Doubled In 6 Months

-- TribLive: President’s ICE Rewarded Butler County Sheriff’s Office With $200,000 For Its Help: Here’s What It Bought; Immigrant Advocate Says It’s ‘Blood Money’

[Posted: November 8, 2026]