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

— WESA: Republican Candidate For Governor Sen. Corman Gets Boost From Kellyanne Conway During Pittsburgh Visit

— PG: Republican Sen. Jake Corman Touts Trumpian Bona Fides, Conservative Record During Bethel Park Town Hall

— Newsweek: Chris Christie Slams Former Republican President For Calling Putin’s Decision To Invade Ukraine “Savvy” And “Genius”

— 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

— Inquirer: U.S. Senate Candidate Conor Lamb’s (D) Challenge: Build His Name, Take Down Fetterman, Do It All With Less Money

— 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

— WHYY: Facing Inaction From The State On Election Changes, Philly Politicians Are Trying New Ways To Avoid Election Drama

— Election Reform/2020 Election Fallout

— WHYY: Facing Inaction From The State On Election Changes, Philly Politicians Are Trying New Ways To Avoid Election Drama

— 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

— AP: Bill Sponsored By Republican Cong. Reschenthaler Would Increase Threshold For Tax Reporting Of Slots Winnings To $5,000

— 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

— MCall: Ukraine Invasion Could Lead To ‘A Crippling Cyberattack On U.S., Lehigh Valley Political Leaders Warn

— Other

—  LancasterOnline: High Family Transfers Stock From Its $570 Million Business To Charitable Foundation

TAP HERE for all articles in March 7 EXPRESS Update