PA Capitol Report: Top 10 Stories On Harrisburg/PA Politics Last Week


Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else–

— Governor’s Race

— Politics PA: New Poll – Fetterman, Shapiro Extend Leads

— Inquirer: Democratic Candidate For Governor Shapiro’s New Ads Cites Republican Mastriano’s Ties To Antisemitic Content On Gab Online Social Media Site

— Inquirer: Florida Governor Campaigning For Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano In Pittsburg, But A Multifaith Group Is Pushing Back

— TribLive: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano, FL Gov. DeSantis Focus On Crime, Pandemic Closures At Pittsburgh Rally

— Inquirer: 3 Big Takeaways From Republican Rally In Pittsburgh: Don ‘The Full Armor Of God’

— WITF: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastrianop, Some PA Republican Leaders Think Christianity And Government Should Be Linked

— Inquirer: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Said Islam Is Not Compatible With The Constitution In 2018 Radio Interview

— Post-Gazette Guest Essay: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano And Gab – Words Of Hate Can Bring About Acts Of Hate

— WESA: After WESA Inquiry To U.S. Army, Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Dials Back Military Imagery On Social Media

— PA Capital-Star: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Removes Social Media Profile Pics After Warning From U.S. Army

— NBC10: U.S. Army Contacts Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Over Use Of Military ‘Imagery’ In Campaign

— LancasterOnline: The LifeGate Church Members Providing Security For Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano

— PennLive – Charles Thompson: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Challenges Shapiro To 2 Debates, But Only On His Terms

— Post-Gazette – Julian Routh: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Challenges Democrat Shapiro To 2 Debates, But With Conditions

— LancasterOnline: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Declines LNP Debate Invitation Citing ‘Inflammatory’ Coverage And ‘Hack’ Reporters

— Inquirer: Mastriano Critics Become Mastriano Boosters While Avoiding The Name Mastriano

— Post-Gazette Editorial: Resolving The Tedious Debate Over Candidate Debates

— Scranton Times Editorial: State Debate Commission Sound Idea

— York Dispatch Editorial: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano, Republican PA Cong. Scott Perry Giving PA A Black Eye

— PA Capital-Star: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano’s Education Funding Plan Would Devastate PA’s Public Schools, Advocates Say

— WESA: Problematic Rules For Covering Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Campaign Event Featuring Florida Governor Pose Ethical Quandary For Media

— Scranton Times: Ex-President To Hold Sept. 3 Rally For Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano, Dr. Oz At Mohegan Sun Arena

— U.S. Senate Race

— Politics PA: New Poll – Fetterman, Shapiro Extend Leads

— WPost: PA U.S. Senate Race No Longer A Tossup As Fetterman Memes Zero In On Dr. Oz’s Wealth

— Erie Times: Fetterman Unveils 5-Point Accountability Plan If Elected To U.S. Senate

— PennLive: Fetterman Social Media Picks On Dr. Oz’s Use Of ‘Crudite,’  ‘In PA We Call This A Veggie Tray’

— Post-Gazette – Julian Routh: Dr. Oz Responds To Crudites Video At ‘Wegners’ As Fetterman Rakes In Donations

— TribLive Guest Essay: Veggie Trays Or Crudite?  The Battle For PA Votes

— PA Capital-Star Editorial Cartoon: Thank You For Shopping At ‘Wegners’

— PennLive: Dr. Oz Campaigned At Bethlehem’s Musikfest Against Its Policy, Organizers Say

— PennLive: Ex-President’s Advisor Steve Bannon Suggested Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Fetterman Is ‘Satanic’

— TribLive: Reports: Republicans Cut Ad Spending In PA U.S. Senate Race

— Scranton Times: Ex-President To Hold Sept. 3 Rally For Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano, Dr. Oz At Mohegan Sun Arena

— May 2022 Primary Election

— AP: Court Orders 3 PA Counties To Count Mail-In Ballots

— Citizens Voice: Luzerne County DA Finds No Criminal Wrongdoing In 2021 Primary Election Problems

— November 2022 Election

— York Dispatch Editorial: A Eulogy For The Republican Party

— York Daily Record: Poll Shows Republican Cong. Scott Perry Losing To Democratic Opponent

— PennLive: Republican Cong. Scott Perry Losing Voter Support Over Allegations Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol, Poll By Democratic Opponent Says

— PA Capital-Star: Internal Polls Show ‘Tight Race’ In Cartwright’s Congressional District

— York Daily Record: Did Overturning Roe v. Wade Lead To Spike In New PA Voters?  It’s Complicated

— PA Capital-Star: Older Voters Delivered For Dems In 2020, Will They Repeat In PA In 2022?

— Post-Gazette: Want To Help Democracy? Sign Up To Be A Poll Worker

— WPost: Current Republican Maryland Governor Calls Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mentally Unstable

— Election Reform/2020 Election Fallout

— Daily Item: County Commissioners Assn. Votes Down Proposal To Prioritize Repeal Of PA’s Mail-In Voting Law

— LancasterOnline: Republican Lancaster County Commissioners Led Effort To Repeal Law Authorizing No Excuse Mail-In Voting At State County Commissioners Meeting

— Inquirer: Nearly All PA Counties Apply For Election Money, Are Worried About The Rules For Using It

— MCall – Ford Turner: Lawmakers Hear Calls To Open PA Primary Elections To All Voters

— Scranton Times Editorial: Urgent Case For Open Primary Elections

— MCall – Paul Muschick: Want To Improve Election Integrity In PA?  Philadelphia Offers A Great Model To Adopt

— Post-Gazette: Voting Machine Company To Subpoena Fmr PA Secretary Of State Boockvar In Lawsuit Against Fox News

— WPost: Attempts To Inappropriately Access Voting Machines Spurred Investigations, Including In PA, CO, Georgia

— Post-Gazette: Butler County Finishes Review Of 2020 Ballots, Finds No Inaccuracies

— Reading Eagle: Fmr Berks County Elections Director Says Commissioners Wanted Her To Be ‘Scapegoat’

— LancasterOnline Editorial: Republican State Senate Candidate’s Spurious Records Request Makes Legitimate Pursuit Of Transparency More Difficult

— PA’s Role In Assault On U.S. Capitol

— York Dispatch Editorial: A Eulogy For The Republican Party

— AP: Ex-President’s Angry Words Spur Death Threats And Real Violence [PA Connections Included]

— WITF: FBI Subpoenaed Several PA Republican Lawmakers And We Still Don’t Know Why

— Inquirer: FBI Bolsters Security Following Attacks By Men With PA Ties And Threats Prompted By Search Of Ex-President’s Florida Estate

— PennLive: Cumberland County Woman Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol Wants Off House Arrest To Visit The PA Renaissance Faire

— PennLive: Cumberland County Woman Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol Approved For PA Renaissance Faire Outing By Court

— PennLive: Judge Denies Request By Cumberland County Woman Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol To Move Trial From Central PA

— TribLive: Allegheny County Man Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol Chooses Trial By Judge, Not Jury

— Post-Gazette: Allegheny County Man Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol Close To Plea Deal

— Inquirer: A QAnon Follower Who Drove To Philly’s 2020 Vote Count In A Hummer Filled With Guns Now Facing Criminal Charges Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol

— MCall: PA Man Who Rammed U.S. Capitol Barricade Before Killing Himself Lived In Lehigh Valley, Had Lengthy Criminal History

— Erie Times: Man With PA Connection Crashed Car Into Barricade Near U.S. Capitol, Fired Gunshots Before Killing Himself, Policy Say

— PA Capital-Star: Gunman Who Tried to Breach Cincinnati FBI Office Raised In Perry County

— Inquirer: Mercer County Man Arrested For Threatening To Slaughter FBI Agents And ‘Water The Trees Of Liberty’ With Their Blood

— TribLive: FBI: Mercer County Man Makes Online Threats Against Law Enforcement After Ex-President’s Estate Was Searched

— TribLive: Mercer County Man Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol To Remain In Custody, Accused Of Threatening FBI Agents On Gab

— Post-Gazette: Mercer County Man Accused Of Threatening FBI Agents Emerged From Home With Assault Rifle Before Arrest, FBI Says

— Post-Gazette: Mercer County Man Charged In FBI Threats Split Online Personas Between Adventure Photographer, Right-Wing Ranter

— Post-Gazette Editorial: Mercer County Man Charged With Threatening The FBI On The Social Media Site Gab Another Warning

— York Dispatch Editorial: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano, Republican PA Cong. Scott Perry Giving PA A Black Eye

— WPost: Current Republican Maryland Governor Calls Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mentally Unstable

— TribLive/AP: Republican Candidate For Congress Says U.S. Attorney General ‘Should Be Executed’

— State Constitutional Amendments

— Spotlight PA: Complete Guide To More Than 70 Proposed Amendments To State Constitution

— PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

— Erie Times: Erie Sees Gasoline Prices Fall Below $4, Will It Keep Dropping?

— PA PUC: Cost Of Natural Gas Provided By Major Utilities In PA Increased As Much As 154% Over Last Year  [PaEN]

— Warren Times: National Fuel Gas To Increased Cost Of Natural Gas 39.7% Effective Aug. 1

— Inquirer – Andrew Maykuth: Philadelphia Natural Gas Works Proposes To Cap Its Weather Normalization Charge To Prevent Future Billing Mayhem

— Independent Fiscal Office Reports Decline In PA Natural Gas Production For 2nd Quarter In A Row For First Time; But An Increase In New Wells Drilled  [PaEN]

— Pittsburgh Business Times: State’s Natural Gas Production Drops 2nd Quarter In A Row

— Baker Hughes PA Natural Gas Drill Rig Count – No Change From Last Week – 23

— Bloomberg: Natural Gas Shortage Fears Has Prices Flirting With Levels Not Seen In U.S. In 15 Years

— CNN: U.S. Natural Gas Prices Spike To 14-Year High, Prices Up 525% Since June 2020

— Harrisburg Politics Potpourri

— LancasterOnline: PA Lawmakers In Line For Largest Automatic Pay Raise Ever, Pushing Base Pay Over $100,000

— Spotlight PA – Stephen Caruso: PA Lawmakers Set To Get Huge Raises Next Year; They Can Return Them, But Almost Nobody Does

— TribLive Editorial: State Lawmakers’ Big Raises An Affront To PA Taxpayers

— LancasterOnline Editorial: As Pennsylvanians Struggle, State Lawmakers Set To Receive Automatic Pay Raise That Will Push Their Base Pay Above $100,000 

— Scranton Times Editorial: Lawmakers – Let Them Eat Crudite

— Post-Gazette Guest Essay: We Can Stop Corrupt In Harrisburg, Start With Lawmaker Gift Ban

— Warren Times: Democrats Want Republican Lawmakers To Stop Carrying Guns In State Capitol Building

— PennLive – Jan Murphy: Liquor Control Board Weighs Change In Liquor Lotteries To Restore Confidence In Their Integrity

— TribLive Guest Essay: Lawmakers Need To Address The Growing Threat Posed By Illegal Skill Gambling Games – Pete Shelly

— PennLive Guest Essay: What Does A Moose Lodge Or Grocery Store Have In Common With A Casino? Nothing – Taverns Association [Supporting Games Of Skill Gambling]

— Altoona Mirror Editorial: Legislature Raising Stakes On Gambling By Considering Legalizing Games Of Skill

— Post-Gazette: Wolf Signs Executive Order To Protect LGBTQ Pennsylvanians From Conversion Therapy

— PennLive – John Baer: I’ve Changed My Mind About Ex-President, He’s Never Going Away

— Scranton Times: Political Activist Sues Scranton, Pottsville For Halting Burning Demonstrations Of Ex-President’s Flag

— Budget 2022

— LancasterOnline: ‘Historic’ State Budget Increase To Education Funding Too Late To Prevent Lancaster County Tax Hikes

— PA Gaming Control Board Reports Gaming Revenue For July – $429 Million

— TribLive: PA Casino Revenue Jumps To $429 Million In July After Late Spring Lull

— COVID Pandemic/Health

— Centre Daily Times: PA Counties At High COVID Community Levels Up To 14

— TribLive: Pitt Move-In Days Coincide With High COVID Levels, Masks Required Indoors

— Erie Times: Erie County Reports 2 More Monkeypox Cases

— TribLive: Monkeypox Case Confirmed At YMCA Camp In Beaver County

— PennLive: Penn State Reports Monkeypox Case At Main Campus

— MCall: Lehigh Valley Schools, Universities Share Their Monkeypox Plans

— Inquirer: Another Public Health Threat Looms As College Students Return To Campus: Monkeypox

— PennLive: PA Colleges Plan Monkeypox Education, Testing To Prevent Campus Outbreaks

— PA Capital-Star: State Health Officials Urge Pennsylvanians To Get Polio Vaccine

— MCall – Ford Turner: Kratom Industry Pushes PA Lawmakers To Improve Safety For Unregulated Product Used By Millions

— COVID – Schools

— TribLive: Pitt Move-In Days Coincide With High COVID Levels, Masks Required Indoors

— Opioid Deaths

— AG Shapiro, State AGs Reach $450 Million Settlement With Endo As Part Of Opioid Manufacturer’s Bankruptcy

— TribLive Editorial: Westmoreland Commissioners Should Be Open About How Opioid Settlement Money Is Used

School Districts/Higher Education

— LancasterOnline: ‘Historic’ State Budget Increase To Education Funding Too Late To Prevent Lancaster County Tax Hikes

— WHYY: ‘A Fascist Approach To Education’: Local Authors React To Central Bucks School District Book Policies

— MCall: Debate Continues Over Proposed Pennridge School District Policies Banning ‘Advocacy’

— TribLive: Hempfield School District Policy Changes Gives Parents Bigger Role In Review Of Challenged Books

— Centre Daily Times: Centre County Schools Face Staff Shortages: ‘The Worst I’ve Ever Seen It’

— KYW: Philadelphia School District Workers Vote To Authorize Strike Ahead Of School Year

— Spotlight PA: Penn State Spent $500,000 On Police Overtime At Football Games In 2021

— Gun Violence/Law Enforcement

— Warren Times: Democrats Want Republican Lawmakers To Stop Carrying Guns In State Capitol Building

— TribLive: Survey: Many At-Risk Youths In Allegheny County Lose Family To Gun Violence

— Post-Gazette Editorial: Pittsburgh Needs A Youth-Driven Anti-Violence Task Force

— KYW: Man Shot At Least 16 Times On Basketball Court At East Mt. Airy Playground In Philly

— USA Today: These 5 Ads For Guns Are Alarming Critics, Changing Laws

— AP: Luzerne County Kids-For-Cash Judges Ordered To Pay More Than $200 Million

— Scranton Times Editorial: Federal Judge Turns The Tables – Cash For Kids

— PA Economy

— WITF: PA Works To Tackle Unemployment Compensation Problems, Advocates Want Job  Done Right

— Dept. Of Labor & Industry Reports PA Unemployment Rate 4.3% In July, Down 0.2%

— LancasterOnline: Lancaster County Is At Full Employment, So Why Are Employers Still Scrambling For Workers?

— MCall – Ford Turner: PA Workers’ Pay Falling Behind Inflation By Growing Margin: ‘It Affects Everything’

— Centre Daily Times: OSHA: Workplace Deaths Up 40% In Southcentral PA, Including Centre County

— AG Shapiro Takes Lead Role In Multistate Lawsuit Against Predatory Personal Lending Company

— Scranton Times: Lackawanna County’s First Property Tax Reassessment In 50+ Years Unfolds

— Citizens Voice: Study: Pennsylvania Home To The Most Spam Calls In U.S.

—  KDKA: Allegheny County Business Man Pleads Guilty To Stealing Almost $4 Million In Paycheck Protection Loans

— Other

— WITF/AP: Little League World Series Is Back In Williamsport With 4 More Teams

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