— TribLive: Republican Cong. Kelly Seeking 7th Term In Congress [Leader In Effort To Overturn Nov. 2020 Election Results, Filed Lawsuits To Eliminate Mail-In Voting In PA]

— LancasterOnline: Republican Lawyer From Ephrata Accused Of Planning To Kill Democratic U.S. Senators To Remain In Jail

–AP: District Of Columbia Prosecutor Sues Proud Boys, Oath Keepers Over Assault on U.S. Capitol Seeking Harsh Penalties [Philadelphia Has An Active Proud Boys Chapter]

— Inquirer: 3 More Philadelphia Proud Boys Charged In Assault On U.S. Capitol

— ScrantonT: Feds Want PA Man Jailed For Charges Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol

— TribLive: Ex-Allegheny County Teacher Charged In Assault On U.S. Capitol Poses ‘Ongoing Danger,’ Judge Says

— PG: Ex-Army Ranger, Fmr Teacher Charged In Assault On U.S. Capitol Will Remain Jailed As A Threat

— TribLive: Mercer County Man Pleads Guilty To Charges Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol

— TribLive: Allegheny County Man Gets Federal Prison For Throwing Concrete, Pipes At Police During George Floyd Protests

— PG: Federal Judge Rejects Fox News Request To Dismiss Dominion Voting’s Defamation Lawsuit Over 2020 Election Claims [Including In PA]

— CourierT: What New Bucks County School Boards Are Facing – Book Bans, School Unmasking

— WHYY: Want A Delaware County Govt. Contract? You Must Disclose Political Contributions

— Harrisburg Political Potpourri

— PennLive- Jan Murphy: Republican Sen. Corman Won’t Seek Re-Election To Senate Next Year To Focus On His Gubernatorial Bid

— AP: Republican Sen. Corman Won’t Seek Another Senate Term Amid Run For Governor

— AP: Pennsylvania Tries Again To Move Up 2024 Presidential Primary

— PA Cap-Star: New Senate, House Voting District Maps Loom Over Lawmaker Ahead Of Long-Awaited Reveal Today

— ScrantonT: Rep. Michael Peifer Will Not Seek Reelection

— TribLive: Republican Cong. Kelly Seeking 7th Term In Congress [Leader In Effort To Overturn Nov. 2020 Election Results, Filed Lawsuits To Eliminate Mail-In Voting In PA]

— PennLive – John Baer: A Christmas Fantasy: PA Lawmakers Offer Taxpayers Some Gifts

— TribLive Column: PA Democrats Have A Union Problem – Michael Torres

— YorkDR Editorial: Can Kindness And Compassion Make A Comeback In 2022?

— PennLive – Charles Thompson: George Gekas Remembered As Civic Leaders, Legislator, Harrisburg Fixture

– ScrantonT: Liquor Control Board Records Banner Year

— MCall: PA Lawmaker Proposes Constitutional Amendment To End State Control Of Liquor Sales

— PennLive: Looser Rules For Take-Out Sales Of Cocktails Passes Senate

— Inquirer: School Employees Pension Fund Reaps Record Profits, But Taps Taxpayers For Yet Another Funding Increase

— PennLive – Charles Thompson: Retirement Costs For School Districts, Taxpayers Will Continue To Edge Up In 2022

— Inquirer Editorial: PA School Employees Pension Fund Making Positive Changes, But More Daylight Is Needed

— Inquirer: PA Pension Fund For State Workers Follows PSERS And Revises Staff Travel Rules

— PennLive – Charles Thompson: Should PA Get Into 401(k) Business For Certain Private Sector Workers? Could Bolster Retirement Security

— PennLive – Jan Murphy: Bill Requiring Public Schools To Post Course Information online Wins Senate OK, But Lacks Wolf’s Support

–Spotlight PA: Lack Of Telehealth Law In PA A Major Headache For Patients Who Need It Most

— PG Editorial: Standardizing Telehealth Benefits State Residents

— LancasterOnline Editorial: Lawmakers Need To Pass Legislation To Ensure Access To Telemedicine

— PA Cap-Star: Senate Committee Advances Republican Fetal Remains Legislation

— PA Cap-Star: Gov. Wolf Has Failed To Address The Collapse Of PA’s Intellectual Disability System – 17 Disability Industry Leaders

— AP: Senate Moves To Overhaul Probation System

— PennLive: PA Pardons Secretary Leaves Job, Parts Ways With Lt. Gov. Fetterman

— Inquirer Guest Essay: Innocent People Have Served Decades In PA Prisons, Here’s How To Stop It

— ReadingE: House, Senate Committees Hear About Problems With State’s Fireworks Law

— PG Editorial: PennDOT’s Bridge Toll Project Eroding Public Trust

— Spotlight PA: Pennsylvania Revises Confederate Markers, Recasts Forces As ‘Enemy’ Soldiers

Budget 2022

— Senate Appropriations Released 2022 State Budget Hearing Schedule

— House Appropriations 2022 State Budget Hearing Schedule

— MCall Guest Essay: We Cannot Let Our Community Colleges Remain Dramatically Underfunded – Trustees Of Lehigh Carbon & Northampton Community Colleges

Constitutional Amendments

— AP: Republicans Begin Advancing Constitutional Amendments To Take Over The PA Supreme Court

— WITF/AP: State Lawmakers Vote For Package Of 5 State Constitutional Changes

— MCall: PA Lawmaker Proposes Constitutional Amendment To End State Control Of Liquor Sales

— PennLive – Jan Murphy: Republicans Move Another Constitutional Amendment To Cut Governor Out Of Amendment Process

— COVID Pandemic Worsens In PA

— Gov. Wolf: Names Keara Klinepeter Acting Health Secretary; Alison Beam To Depart

— Spotlight PA: Everything You Need To Know To Stay COVID-Safe During A 2nd Pandemic Winter

— CourierT: Omicron In PA: What We Know So Far

— TribLive Editorial: Pandemic Is No Time For Polarization; 650 Pennsylvanians Died Of COVID Last Week Alone [“They were people who needed to have their leaders working toward solutions instead of positioning for a win.”]

— Williamsport Sun Editorial: The COVID News Is Grim – Get Vaccinated, Wear Masks, Wash Your Hands

— Altoona Mirror Editorial: COVID Spread, Unfortunately, Not Going Away

— York Dispatch Editorial: In These Times Of Intense Despair, Joy Is An Act Of Resistance [COVID]

— MCall – Paul Muschick: Why I Think PA Republican Lawmakers Are Phonies When They Act Concerned About COVID

— PennLive – Joyce Davis: Truly Good People May Give You The Shirts Off Their Backs, But They Keep Their Masks Firmly In Place

— Gov. Wolf Asks Feds To Support Health Care System In Battling Pandemic

— AP: PA Asks FEMA For Help With Hospital, Nursing Home COVID Surge

— PG: Rural PA’s COVID Storm: Fewer Hospital Beds, Older Population, Vaccine Distrust: ‘Fight To Survive’ [Republicans led effort to let PA COVID Disaster Emergency expire in June]

— Inquirer: Full ICUs, 100 People Dying A Day: The Winter COVID Surge Is Straining PA’s Health-Care System

— WHYY: Hospitals Across PA Are Overflowing With Mostly Unvaccinated COVID Patients

— TribLive: UPMC Altoona Nurses Gather In Pittsburgh, Call On Health Care System To Address ‘Staffing Crisis’

— AltoonaM: Local RNs To Protest At UPMC In Pittsburgh Over ‘Growing Care Crisis’

— Warren Times: Strike Notice Issued By Warren Hospital Workers [Warren County Medical Facilities Are Being Overrun By Unvaccinated COVID Patients]

— PG: Strike Notice Issued By Warren Hospital Workers [Nearly 1 Of 2 COVID Tests Come Back Positive]

— PG: Warren Hospital Strike Called Off After Workers, Company Reach Tentative Contract

— CitizensV: Soaring Costs For Traveling Nurses Threaten Sustainability Of Health Care System, Officials Say

— ErieT: Wolf: PA Has No Plans To Issue New Mask Mandate, ‘Vaccines Are Our Strategy’

— Gov. Wolf Announces $2.5 Million To Support Grassroots COVID Vaccine Outreach Efforts

— PA Cap-Star: Despite No Plans For One Senate Approves Bill Prohibiting COVID Vaccine Mandate For K-12 Students

— AP: Senate Approves Bill To Prevent School Children From Being Required To Get Vaccinated Against COVID

— TribLive – Deb Erdley: Republican Rep. Rossi Offers Help With Vaccination Exemptions In Westmoreland County As COVID Infections Surge

— TribLive Editorial: Republican Reps’ COVID ‘Exemption Assistance’ Encouraging Opposition To Vaccination In A Situation That Is Increasingly, Unnecessarily Political With A Potentially Deadly Disease

— Fox43: Republicans Rally Against Vaccine, Mask, Other COVID Medical Mandates

— LancasterOnline Editorial: Elected Officials Must Urge COVID Vaccination

— WHYY: Why Is It So Hard To Get A COVID Booster Shot These Days?

— Dept. Of Health: Weekly Update On COVID Trends In Deaths, Cases, Hospitalizations, Vaccinations

— PennLive: COVID Killing Younger People In PA

— ScrantonT: COVID Deaths, Cases, Hospitalizations Far Greater In Unvaccinated

— ScrantonT: 3 NE PA Counties Hit COVID Case Milestones As Virus Surge Continues

— WHYY: After 17-Year-Old Philly Student Dies Of Complications From COVID, Teachers Ask For Temporary Return To Virtual Learning

— TribLive: COVID Cases Create ‘Desperate’ Situation At Westmoreland Hospitals

— PG: ‘Everywhere Is Full’: New COVID Surge Is Clogging PA Hospitals

— WPSU: Mount Nittany Medical Center Seeing Record Number Of COVID Patient

— LancasterOnline: Parents Share Fears As Surgical Procedures Delayed Due To COVID Surge

— LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Sets Pandemic Record For COVID Hospitalizations

— KYW: Eagles-Washington Football Game Postponed Due To COVID Outbreak

— YorkD: York City Cancels Holiday Events Due To COVID Surge

— MCall: Ex-Chief Of Cardiac Surgery At Doylestown Health Mounts Campaign To Get His Job Back After Refusing COVID Vaccine

— PA Cap-Star: Rep. Hohenstein (D), Staffer Test Positive For COVID

— ErieT: Erie County Executive-Elect Davis Plans To Change Erie County’s Approach To COVID

— ErieT: Erie County Reports 15 COVID Deaths, Including 2 People Who Had Booster Shots

— ErieT: Erie Hospital Sees 2 Young Adult Patients Die From COVID On Same Day

— CentreDT: Mount Nittany Medical Center Reports Record COVID Cases, Postpones Some Medical Procedures

— AltoonaM: Blair County Region Fairing Worse Than State With COVID Surge

— Inquirer: Top Philly Health Officials Urges People To Avoid Holiday Gatherings

— WHYY: Philly Health Commissioner Advises Against Holiday Gatherings

— CitizensV: Flu Cases Rising Sharply In Pennsylvania

— Inquirer: Philly Health Officials Urge Flu Vaccine For Kids As Hospitals Reach Their Limits

— Inquirer: Many Philly Holiday Parties Are On, Despite Health Commissioner’s COVID Warning

— WHYY: Philly To Require Proof Of COVID Vaccination For Indoor Dining In 2022

— WHYY: How Philly’s Indoor Dining COVID Vaccine Mandate Will Work

— Inquirer: Business Owners Mostly Like Philly Vaccine Mandate For Indoor Dining

— Inquirer: Philadelphia Restaurants Begin Temporary Closings As COVID Cases Spread

— AARP-PA: Only 45.9% Of Nursing Home Residents, 18.2% Of Staff Received COVID Booster

— PG: She Was The First Vaccinated In Pittsburgh, One Year Later, Has Anything Changed?

— PennLive: COVID Care Pushed Average Hospital Charges Above $100,000 For Many In PA

— CentreDT: Centre County Mulls Policy To Require Unvaccinated Employees To Get Weekly COVID Tests

— MCall – Ford Turner: Physicians Tell Lawmakers Effective COVID Treatments Being Suppressed In Favor Of Profits; One Calls System ‘Corrupt To The Core’

— CitizensV: Luzerne County Judge Denies Emergency Injunction To Force Use Of Ivermectin To Treat COVID Patient

— MCall: Woman Seeking Ivermectin Treatment Dies Day After Judge Denies Request

— YorkD: COVID Patient Dies After Winning Court Order To Be Treated With Ivermectin

— PG: Pitt & CMU Study Finds State Mask Mandates Effective Against Delta COVID Surge

— MCall: Lehigh Valley Sees Patchwork Of School Mask Rules After PA Supreme Court Strikes Down Mandate

— WHYY: Some Philly Area School Districts Make Masking Optional In Wake Of Court Ruling

— PennLive: Some Central PA Schools Drop Mask Mandates, Others Continue To Require Them

— PG: Pittsburgh-Area School Districts Adjust Mask Policies After PA Supreme Court Ends Mandate

— PG: Baldwin-Whitehall School Superintendent Says He Was Threatened Over District’s Mask Policy

— YorkD: York School District Fires Teacher Who Allegedly Threatened To Shoot Officials Over COVID Protocols

— Reuters: CDC Releases New ‘Test-To-Stay’ Policy To Keep More Students In School

— TribLive Editorial: Court Ruling Addresses Mask Mandate, Not Safety

— TribLive: Penn State Says Omicron Variant Could Lead To Remote Learning In Spring Semester

— CentreDT: Penn State To Start Next Semester In-Person, But Warns That Could Change

— CentreDT: Penn State Men’s Basketball Game Canceled Due To Positive COVID Test Within Penn State’s Program

— PG: CMU Announces COVID Booster Requirement For Spring

— Inquirer: SE Colleges Weigh Mandating Booster Shots As COVID Cases Surge

— ScrantonT: NE PA Colleges Adjust To Pandemic, Urge Or Require Vaccinations

— WITF/AP: Penn State, Other Colleges Go Back To Drawing Board– Again– To Fight COVID

— WHYY: COVID Cases Are Up On Philly’s College Campuses, Universities Aren’t Doing Much About It

— WPSU: How Penn State Students Say Pandemic Affected Their Mental Health

— NPR: Federal Appeals Court Reinstates OSHA’s Vaccine Mandate For Workers At Larger Businesses

— PG: U.S. Labor Dept. Extended Deadline To Feb. 9 For Companies To Mandate Vaccinations Or Testing

— YorkD: Walmart In York County Shuts Down Temporarily Due To COVID

Opioid Settlement

— TribLive/AP: Federal Judge Rejects Purdue Pharma’s Sweeping Opioid Settlement

— PG: AG Shapiro Clashes With Local Governments Over Billion-Dollar Opioid Settlement

— Inquirer: Philly DA, AG Shapiro Squared Off In Court Hearing Over Proposed $1 Billion Opioid Settlement

— PennLive: PA Nears Deadline For Getting Full Compensation From Companies That Fed Opioid Crisis

— AG Shapiro: Opioid Multistate Settlement Fact Sheet

School Funding/Administration

— Inquirer: Lancaster Schools Spend Above State Average, But Poor Students Need A Lot More, Superintendent Testified At School Funding Trial

— LancasterOnline: Lancaster School Superintendent Testifies In PA School Funding Trial

— WHYY: Inside A Rural School District Suing PA For More Equitable Funding

— Inquirer: New PA Law Could Ease Substitute Teaching Crisis

— MCall – Paul Muschick: Why I Support The Anti-Critical Race Theory Crowd’s Latest Attempt To Reshape Public Education In PA

— Gov. Wolf: State Will Not Tax Student Loan Forgiveness For Public Servants

— PennLive – Jan Murphy: About 1,000 PA Student Loan Agency Employees, Including CEO, Get Christmas Pay Raises Totaling $2.4 Million

— PG: PA Democrats Fear Political Blowback When Student Loan Payments Start Again

— PG: As PA State Universities Merge, Steinways Are Sent Elsewhere

— Gun Violence/Law Enforcement

— Inquirer: Gunfire Tears Thru Offices Of Philly State Sen. Street, NAACP, Leaving One Man In Critical Condition

— WHYY: Man Injured, Offices Of PA Senator, NAACP Damaged By Gunfire In Philadelphia

— WHYY: Philly Police, AG Shapiro Tout Reductions In Shootings In Some Parts Of West Philly

— TribLive: Shots Fired Outside Walmart In Pittsburgh, Police Looking For 4 Suspects

— ErieT Guest Essay: Permitless Gun Carry Law Is A Horror That Endangers Everyone

— PennLive Guest Essay: If You Want To Help Police, Don’t Make It Easier To Carry A Concealed Gun – Lancaster Police Chief

— MCall Guest Essay: Why PA Should Immediately Repeal Its Stand Your Ground Gun Laws – Mark Pensley, U.S. Army Veteran

— PG Editorial: Peace And Joy Give Way To Lawmakers Carrying Guns

— Inquirer: He Took 8 Bullets And Survived, Now He’s Refusing To Squander His 2nd Chance At Life

— Inquirer: Philly DA Apologizes For Downplaying The City’s Violence Crisis

— AP: Lancaster Teen Pleads Not Guilty In October Mall Shooting Of 3

— AP: 2 Teens Arrested May Have Planned School Shooting In Western PA

— PA Cap-Star: In Philly, Charter School Students Silently Stand Against City’s Gun Violence

— PG Editorial: Young People Need A Purpose To Cut Gun Violence

— AP: Schools Step Up Security In Response To Threats On TikTok

— Inquirer: TikTok Threats Have Philly-Area Schools Stepping Up Police Presence Friday

— MCall: Lehigh Valley Schools React To Viral TikTok Threat

— MCall: Teen Girl Charged With Making Threats At Lehigh Valley H.S.

— ScrantonT: Scranton Students To Learn Remotely Amid School Safety Warnings

— LancasterOnline: Threatening TikTok Challenge Alarms Lancaster County School Officials

— TribLive: Leechburg School District To Monitor Student Emails Via Google App

— PG Editorial: Enough Is Enough – School Threats Must Be Curbed

— PG: FBI: PA Led Nation In Data Breach Losses In 2020; Cyber Ransom Attacks Costing PA Victims Millions

— Inquirer Guest Essay: Innocent People Have Served Decades In PA Prisons, Here’s How To Stop It

— YorkDR: Trans People Excluded From PA Hate Crimes Law In Year Of Record-Setting Violence

What Happened To COVID Aid?

— LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Still Waiting For Treasury Guidance Before Spending $106 Million In American Rescue Plan Funding

— ErieT: PA Provided $145 Million In COVID Aid To Restaurants, Here’s Who Benefited

— ErieT: Erie Restaurant Remains Closed Despite $500,000 Federal Aid, Here’s Why

— ErieT: Feds Give More Than $10 Million To Erie County Restaurants

— CitizensV: Luzerne County Still Has $20 Million In COVID Rental Assistance Funding

— Inquirer: Philly Business Owner Pleaded Guilty To Using Nearly $1 Million In PPP Aid To Buy A House, Cars, Jewelry

— PA Economy

— WHYY: Number Of Women Doing Gig Work In Philly Region Surged During Pandemic

— MCall: Better Salaries, Better Hours, Better Perms Available In Lehigh Valley, Thanks To Labor Shortage

— PennLive: As Staffing Agencies Skim Off Its Nurses, UPMC Hits Back With $85/Hour Traveling Nurse Corps

— Dept. Of Labor & Industry: PA Unemployment Rate Down To 5.7% In November, Labor Force Shrinks Again

— AG Shapiro Nominates New PA Consumer Advocate

— YorkD: Walmart In York County Shuts Down Temporarily Due To COVID

— LancasterOnline: Fulton Theatre Cancels Cinderella Performances After Actors Test Positive For COVID

— PG: Supply-Chain Problems Delaying Completion Of Some PennDOT Projects

— AP: House Advances Plan To Boost Broadband Internet Expansion

— Gov. Wolf Applauds Passage Of Bill To Expand Broadband Internet

— Gov. Wolf Invests $33 Million In 25 Rail Infrastructure Projects Supporting 200 Jobs

— Inquirer: How Philadelphia’s Port Got Containers Moving Again

— PennLive: Take A Look Inside Penn National Gaming’s Newest Casino In Berks County

— Inquirer: Thieves Are Stealing Checks From Postal Service Collection Boxes Across Philly

— Inquirer: A Cannoli Catastrophe Almost Derailed The 100th Termini Bros. Christmas In South Philadelphia

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