PA Capitol Report: Top 10 Stories On Harrisburg/PA Politics Last Week
Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else–
— New Voting Districts – Senate, House, Congressional
— Spotlight PA: A Complete Guide To PA’s Redistricting Court Challenges
— AP: U.S. Supreme Court Asked To Intervene In PA Congressional Voting Districts Case
— WHYY: Will U.S. Supreme Court Wade Into The Battle Over PA Congressional Voting Districts Map?
— Inquirer: Redistricting Put PA Supreme Court In Political Spotlight, Where It Doesn’t Want To Be
— Governor’s Race
— Inquirer: Republicans Running For Governor Talk A Lot About Philly Crime, But Who Are They Talking To?
— PA Cap-Star: Q+A With Republican Candidate For Governor Melissa Hart
— ErieT Guest Essay: A CRIZ For Erie When I’m PA Governor – Dave White
— U.S. Senate Race
— PennLive – Charles Thompson: Franklin & Marshall Poll Shows Tight Race For Republican U.S. Senate Nomination, Fetterman Leads Lamb In Democratic Primary
— Franklin & Marshall March 2022 Poll Results
— Inquirer: Dr. Oz Knows How To Make TV Moments, Now He’s Doing It For His U.S. Senate Campaign
— May 2022 Election
— AP: PA Supreme Court Issues Order Keeping Mail-In Voting Law In Place For May Primary
— TribLive: Western PA Republicans Blast New Congressional Districts Map; Democrats Invigorated By Changes
— WHYY: PA’s Legislative Redistricting Is Done, But Local Impacts Still Unfolding
— Election Reform/2020 Election Fallout
— WESA: In A Time Of Political Hostility, This Pittsburgh Author Blames ‘The Death Of God’
— LancasterOnline: PA Ranks Number One In Nation In Hate Propaganda, Anti-Defamation League Says
— PennLive: Antisemitic, White Supremacist Propaganda Surges Across PA: ADL Report
— Inquirer: PA Saw Big Increase In Reports Of White Supremacist Propaganda Last Year, But It’s Not Clear Why
— MCall – Paul Muschick: Spreading Hate: White Supremacist Groups Send Propaganda Throughout Lehigh Valley
— PA Cap-Star: Pittsburgh Advocates Call On Scaife-Linked Foundation To Stop Funding Anti-Immigrant Groups
— PG: Ex-Pittsburgh Teacher Sues District Over Termination For Right-Wing Facebook Post
— PA’s Role In Assault On U.S. Capitol
— ScrantonT: Luzerne County Woman Gets 60 Days In Jail For Charges Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol
— PG: Mercer County Man Who Pleaded Guilty To Charges Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol Has Died
— LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Man Accused Of Planning To Kill Democratic U.S. Senators To Plead Guilty
— PA Cap-Star: A Year After Assault On U.S. Capitol Lives On In Hundreds Of Court Cases, Including Against 63 From PA [That’s 15.5% Of All Defendants]
— AP: Many Trials Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol Hinge On First Trial’s Outcome [PA included]
— York Dispatch Editorial: Enforce U.S. House Subpoena Against Republican Sen. Mastriano On Assault On U.S. Capitol
— State Constitutional Amendments
— Spotlight PA: Complete Guide To More Than 70 Proposed Amendments To State Constitution
— PennLive – Jan Murphy: Voters Split Over Amendment To Sell Of PA’s State-Run Liquor Stores: Poll
— PA Politics Of Russian Invasion
— The Epoch Times: Republicans Urge Gov. Wolf To Unleash PA’s Immense Natural Gas Reserves
— Gov. Wolf Blasts Republicans For Exploiting Crisis In Ukraine To Line Pockets Of The Natural Gas Industry
— PA Cap-Star: Wolf, Republicans Spar Over PA Natural Gas Exports, Russian Imports
— Republican Rep. Metcalfe Calls On Gov. Wolf To Ban On Russian Sourced Energy, Unleash PA’s Full Potential To Power Free World
— City & State PA: PA Republicans Call For Pipeline Expansions Following Invasion Of Ukraine
— Financial Times: Top US Shale Oil Boss Warns Crude Could Hit $200 With Western Energy Embargo, Can’t Replace Russian Supplies Because Of Supply Chain Issues, Demands From Wall Street To Pay Dividends With New Windfalls [Pioneer Natural Resources]
— The Guardian Guest Essay: Oil & Gas Lobbyists Are Using Ukraine To Push For A Drilling Free-For-All In The U.S.
— PoliticsPA: The Politics Around Energy And Russian Invasion In PA
— Guest Essay: Are We Nuts? American Energy Is Key To Undermining Putin’s War – Sen. Yaw (R-Lycoming)
— PG Guest Essay: When It Comes To Natural Gas, Russia Is Putin Us On – State Treasurer Stacy Garrity
— MCall – Paul Mushick: How PA Politicians Are Uniting Against Russia
— City & State PA: How Pennsylvania Is Responding To The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine
— PennLive – Jan Murphy: PA State Agencies Moving To Rid Their Portfolios Of Investments In Russia
— PennLive – Jan Murphy: PA State Treasurer Divesting $2.9 Million Of State Investments From Russian Companies
— PennLive: State Looking To Divestment Of Russian-related Assets In Pension Funds
— AP: PA Moves To Divest State Pension Fund Holdings In Russian Assets
— MCall/AP: PA School Pension Fund Has About $300 Million Invested In Russia, Belarus
— AP: PA School Employees Pension Fund To Divest Of $300 Million In Russian Assets
— Gov. Wolf Urges State Employees, School Employees Pension Funds To Divest From Russian Assets
— PennLive: PA State Employees Pension Fund To Divest Russian Assets
— PennLive Editorial: Pennsylvanians Have A Moral Obligation Not To Help Putin Get Richer While He’s Killing People In The Ukraine [Divesting Russian Assets]
— Gov. Wolf Urges Liquor Control Board To Remove And Stop Selling Russian-Sourced Products
— TribLive: LCB Removes Russian-Made Products From State Store Shelves
— PennLive: Liquor Control Board Removes All Russian-Made Alcohol From Stores
— PA Cap-Star: PA Liquor Control Board Will Yank Russian Products From Its Shelves
— TribLive Editorial: Pour One For Ukraine, But Not With Russian Vodka
— PennLive – Jan Murphy: House Republican Leaders Want To Send Soon-To-Expire PPE In State Stockpile To Ukraine
— Harrisburg Potpourri
— PA Cap-Star: Protests Demanding Action Of Lawmaker Gift Ban Disrupt House Republican Leader’s Speech
— PennLive – John Baer: PA Democrats Could Be In Trouble This Year, Maybe Beyond, Poll Shows
— MCall: Biden Approval Hits New Low In PA Poll
— Franklin & Marshall March 2022 Poll Results
— AP: Republican Congressman Fred Keller Won’t Run For Reelection Against Another Republican
— PG: Allegheny County Republican Chair Could Run To Fill Lamb’s Congressional Seat
— PennLive – Charles Thompson: Eugene DePasquale Will Not Run Against Republican Congressman Scott Perry
— PennLive – Charles Thompson: Army Veteran Rick Coplen Steps Forward To Challenge Republican Congressman Scott Perry
— YorkD Editorial: Calling All Challengers: It’s Time To Stand Up And Oust Republican Cong. Scott Perry
— PG Editorial: Shine A Light On PA Turnpike Commission
— Warren Times: PA Mulls Potential $3 Billion A Year Industry – Legalized Marijuana
— Inquirer: Legalizing Weed In PA Faces Complicated Demands
— Inquirer: PA Medical Marijuana Sellers Offer Advice On Weed Legalization At PA Senate Hearing
— PG: Western PA Leaders And Activists See Hope In State’s Marijuana Hearings
— Budget 2022
— WITF: PA Lawmakers Start Negotiations Over New State Budget
— Dept. Of Revenue Reports February State Revenues Exceeded Estimates By $155.7 Million; Year-To-Date Up $2 Billion
— Independent Fiscal Office Reports February State Revenues Exceeded Estimates By $256.7 Million; Year-To-Date Up $2.46 Billion
— Gov. Wolf Again Calls On General Assembly To Allocate Federal Funding To Support Pennsylvania
— WBTimes Guest Essay: General Assembly Needs To Act On $1.7 Billion In Federal Aid Now – Gov. Wolf
— PA Cap-Star Guest Essay: Wolf Drops State Police Fee In Budget Proposal, But The Problem Remains
— TribLive Guest Essay: Wolf’s Strong Fiscal Management Has Us Poised To Deliver For PA – Secretary Of Revenue
— PG Editorial: Legislators Should Approve State Corporate Tax Cut
— MCall – Ford Turner: Will Some PA Residents Get Pandemic Relief Payments Up To $2,000? Here’s Where Wolf’s Proposal Stands
— PennLive: $100,000 Club: Who Are State Government’s Top Wage Earners?
— COVID Pandemic In PA
— MCall: First Cases Of COVID In PA Reported 2 Years Ago, These Charts Show The Pandemic’s Full Scale
— WESA: As COVID Subsides, Thousands Of Pennsylvanians Could Lose Medicaid Coverage
— Gov. Wolf: State Expands Access To Health Insurance Thru State Health Insurance Exchange
— MCall – Ford Turner: Will Some PA Residents Get Pandemic Relief Payments Up To $2,000? Here’s Where Wolf’s Proposal Stands
— MCall: Under New CDC Guidance, Masks No Longer Recommended In All But These 15 PA Counties
— Inquirer: Philly’s Restaurant Workers Reluctantly Embrace End Of Masking, But Don’t Trust It
— Spotlight PA: PA Isn’t Likely To See More Local Health Depts Anytime Soon, We Found Out Why
— WHYY: PA Gives Final Approval To Delaware County’s First Health Department
— PG: UPMC Profit Jumps 36% During COVID-Challenged Year In 2021
— PG Editorial: Realigning Priorities At UPMC, A ‘Nonprofit’ With $10.7 Billion In Cash And Investments
— PG: Penn State Agrees To Nearly $900,000 Settlement To Resolve Alleged Health Care Claims Missteps
— PG: Staffing Woes Driving Western PA Hospitals’ Struggles With Costs
— PG Editorial: COVID Tests Arrived Too Late
— COVID – Schools
— WESA: Pittsburgh Public Schools Alone Among Largest Western PA School Districts To Continue Mask Mandate
— WHYY: Philly Schools Plan To Drop Their Mask Mandate, Leaving Students To Worry About Safety, Confusion
— LancasterOnline Editorial: Learn From Failures Of Free COVID Testing Program For Schools
— LancasterOnline Editorial: Elizabethtown School Director Aludes To Holocaust In Remark About COVID Protocol, She Needs To Learn History
— PG: Penn State To Lift Masks Rules At University Park, Nearly All Campuses
— Opioid Epidemic
— CourierT: Bucks County Gets $45 Million To Aid With Opioid Prevention, Treatment
— School Funding/Administration
— AP: PA Student Scores Fell, Delayed Test Results Show
— ErieT: Student Test Scores Fell Dramatically In 2021 In Erie And Statewide
— PA Cap-Star: PA Report Lower Performance On School Standardized Tests: ‘This Year’s Results Are Anything But Standard’
— PennLive – Jan Murphy: PA Releases School Assessment Results, Which Hint At Impact Of Pandemic On Students
— PennLive – Jan Murphy: PA Lawmakers, Advocacy Groups Want To See Pandemic-Related Learning Gaps Closed
— PG: Pittsburgh Schools’ Interim Superintendent Says District Is Exploring Options To Curb Unrest
— WHYY: At Urban Navigation, Philly Kids Can Learn Music Production, Engineering Or How To Disarm A Gun
— PG: Ex-Pittsburgh Teacher Sues District Over Termination For Right-Wing Facebook Post
— LancasterOnline: Elizabethtown School Board Continues Discussion Of Book Ban
— TribLive: ‘Indefensible’ Social Media Posts About Girls, People Of Faith And Individuals With Down Syndrome Results In Call By Westmoreland School Board For One Of Its Members To Step Down [The Member Wasn’t At The Meeting, He Had 2 Wisdom Teeth Pulled]
— WITF: Latino Groups Push For Bilingual Trade Schools In Smaller Central PA Cities
— PA Commission For Community Colleges: Community Colleges Educate For In-Demand, Local Careers In High Priority Occupations
— PG: Third State-Owned University Returns To Flat-Rate Tuition For Full-Time Students
— TribLive: Start Getting Used To These Words: Commonwealth University Of PA
— Inquirer Guest Essay: Temple University Mom Right To Hire Security To Help Keep Her Kid Safe Off Campus
— PG: Penn State Agrees To Nearly $900,000 Settlement To Resolve Alleged Health Care Claims Missteps
— PennLive Guest Essay: Universities Can Be Vital In Cultivating Innovation And Stimulating Economic Growth – Outgoing President Of Penn State
— Gun Violence/Law Enforcement
— PennLive: PA Voters Overwhelmingly Oppose Dropping Concealed-Carry Gun License Rule
— AP: Philadelphia Police Shoot, Kill 12-Year-Old Boy After Officers In A Car Were Shot, Officials Say
— Inquirer: Mystery Deepens On Whether 12-Year-Old Was Armed When Philly Police Shot Him In The Back
— AP: Philly Police Won’t ID Officers In 12-Year-Old Boy’s Death, Citing Threats
— WHYY: At Urban Navigation, Philly Kids Can Learn Music Production, Engineering Or How To Disarm A Gun
— AG Shapiro Opens Investigation Into Social Media Platform TikTok’s Impact On Young People
— PG: Pittsburgh Schools’ Interim Superintendent Says District Is Exploring Options To Curb Unrest
— Inquirer Guest Essay: Temple University Mom Right To Hire Security To Help Keep Her Kid Safe Off Campus
— WHYY: Philly Becomes The First Big U.S. City With A Law Banning Minor Traffic Stops
— AP: Philadelphia Cop Charged With Perjury In Coerced Confession
— TribLive Editorial: State Police Shouldn’t Be Above Scrutiny Of Outside Investigations
— ScrantonT Editorial: Police Can’t Investigate Themselves
— PennLive Guest Essay: 3 Ways To Build A Better Black Future In PA With Criminal Justice Reform
— PG Editorial: Venango County Killing Demands Attention, Clarity
— AP: PA Man Freed After Nearly 14 Years In Prison After New Trial, Charges Dropped
— AP: Greensburg Priest Gets Prison Term For Sexually Abusing Altar Boy
— Altoona Mirror: PA Supreme Court Scraps Procedures That Protected Minors Who Committed Murder From Life Without Parole
— Inquirer Guest Essay: Let’s End Mandatory Life Sentences For Young Adults
— Inquirer Guest Essay: Biden’s Supreme Court Pick Offers Lessons On Representation For PA Judiciary – Why Courts Matter-PA
— PA Economy
— LancasterOnline: New F&M Poll Shows Pennsylvanians Are Most Concerned About Their Finances Since 2010
— PennLive: The Pandemic Has Changed The Way We Work In Central PA
— LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Residents Tell Why They Quit Jobs During The Pandemic
— PennLive: Norfolk Southern Offering $5,000 Starting Bonuses For Conductor Trainees In Priority Locations
— AG Shapiro Puts Auto Dealers On Notice For Unfair And Deceptive Practices
— MCall: This Employment Agency Helps Companies Diversity Staff In The Lehigh Valley
— WESA: Pittsburgh Ranks #2 For The Growth Of Its ‘Creative Class,’ And The Boom May Be Just Beginning
— PG: Allegheny County, Pittsburgh Announce End Of Emergency Rental Assistance Program
— ErieT: Erie Group Rolls Out Plan To Invest Millions In East Side Neighborhood
— Other
— LancasterOnline: High Family Transfers Stock From Its $570 Million Business To Charitable Foundation
