PA Capitol Report: Top 10 Stories On Harrisburg/PA Politics Last Week
Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else–
— TribLive Editorial: There’s Still Real Work To Do Gov. Wolf
— PennLive – Jan Murphy: Former Gov. Tom Ridge Reflects On Politics, Assault On U.S. Capitol, His Health
— Governor’s Race
— Reuters: Some PA Republicans Defend Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano For Posing In Confederate Uniform [Republican Chairs, Allegheny, Northampton Counties]
— WHYY/Billy Penn: How Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Won The Hearts Of Confederate Sympathizers
— Philadelphia City Life Guest Essay: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Isn’t A Principled Conservative Or Right For Pennsylvania – James Schultz, Fmr. General Counsel To Gov. Corbett
— MCall – Paul Muschick: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano’s Choice Of Civil War Garb Confirms What A Rebel He Is
— Inquirer – Will Bunch: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano – PA’s Confederate In The Attic
— LancasterOnline Editorial: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano’s Character Is Revealed By The Company He Keeps
— Inquirer Editorial: How A Confederate Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Might Weigh In From The Political Battlefields Of 2022
— Inquirer: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Embraces Another Dodgy Poll Showing Him In The Lead
— York Dispatch Editorial: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano’s One-Sided Campaign
— Courier Times: Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano Says Dems ‘Meddled’ In Bucks County COVID Guidelines, County Calls Claim ‘Pathetic’
— PA Capital-Star: Republican Endorsements Of Shapiro Could Give Conservatives Cover to Reject Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano, Analysts Say
— Post-Gazette: More Fmr Republican Officials Come Out In Support Of Democrat Shapiro In Governor’s Race
— Erie Times: 8 More Republicans Line Up Behind Democrat Shapiro For Governor
— AP: Shapiro Breaks With Democrats On COVID Policies In PA Governor’s Race
— U.S. Senate Race
— Post-Gazette: In First National TV Interview Since Stroke, Fetterman Opens Up About Health Issues As Dr. Oz Attacks
— Post-Gazette: Fetterman – Dr. Oz Sparring Offers Voters Little Substance, Experts Say
— Inquirer: Dr. Oz Says Pay No Attention To The People He Pays To Speak For Him
— PennLive – John Baer: Here’s What’s Likely To Decide PA Races For U.S. Senate, Governor
— TribLive: Fetterman Says No To Dr. Oz Offer To Debate, Calls List Of ‘Concessions’ Insulting
— TribLive – Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pennsylvania Voters Deserve To See Debates
— TribLive Editorial: Pennsylvanians Deserve Fetterman, Dr. Oz Debate
— LancasterOnline – Brad Bumsted: Fetterman Moves To Deflate Questions About His Health As Republicans Spend Big For Dr. Oz
— Post-Gazette: Fetterman Uses Pittsburgh Labor Day Visit To Push Pot Policy To Biden
— MCall – Paul Muschick: Are Pardons For Marijuana Crimes A Political Stunt To Help Fetterman?
— Post-Gazette Editorial: In Distorting Fetterman’s Record, Dr. Oz Resorts To Fear-Mongering
— November 2022 Election
— NYT: Pennsylvania Stakes Its Claim As The Center Of The Political Universe
— LancasterOnline: Voter Data Suggests PA Republicans Voting By Mail Could Be Even Less Common Than In 2020
— DCED Announces Election Integrity Grant Funding Awards To Counties
— Courier Times: Analysis Of Congressional Campaign Finance Suggests Republican Incumbent Fitzpatrick Likely To Stay
— Courier Times: Can 3rd Party Candidates Win Office In Bucks County? Why It’s An Uphill Fight
— WHYY: Philadelphia Launches New Election Website Ahead Of November Midterms
— The Hill: Why Pennsylvania Is So Personally, Politically Important To ‘Scranton Joe’
— Financial Times: How Ex-President’s Antics Have Empowered A New Class Of Moderate Republicans
— Post-Gazette Guest Essay: What Ex-President Wants For PA Republicans, And Why It’s Bad For The Party
— Election Reform/2020 Election Fallout
— LancasterOnline: Voter Data Suggests PA Republicans Voting By Mail Could Be Even Less Common Than In 2020
— DCED Announces Election Integrity Grant Funding Awards To Counties
— Williamsport Sun: Lycoming County Group Delivers Petitions Seeking To Remove Electronic Voting Machines From Election Process In County
— PA’s Role In Assault On U.S. Capitol
— PA Capital-Star: Ex-President Calls Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano, Dr. Oz Vital To A Republican Takeover In 2022, 2024
— Post-Gazette: Ex-President Comes To PA To Stump For Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mastriano, Dr. Oz
— Inquirer: In PA Visit, Ex-President Attacks Biden For ‘Vicious, Hateful And Divisive’ Address
— Scranton Times: Ex-President Accuses Biden Of Violating His Civil Rights During Speech
— Citizens Voice: Republican Cong. Marjorie Taylor Greene Rallies Crowd At Ex-President’s Rally
— AP: Ex-President Moves To General Election Mode With PA Rally
— Post-Gazette: Fayette County Man Charged With Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol Asks For New Venue; Wife Set To Plead Guilty
— Inquirer: Former State College Man Pleads Guilty To Attacking Police Officer During Assault On U.S. Capitol
— Inquirer: Biden And Ex-President Are Both Showing Love To Wilkes-Barre, Here’s Why
— WHYY: Biden And Ex-President Can’t Stay Away From Northeast PA
— Post-Gazette Editorial: Biden’s Speech Moves Us Closer To The Brink
— Scranton Times Editorial: Biden Plainly States MAGA Threat
— Inquirer Editorial: Biden’s Prudent Warning On Threat To Democracy Posed By Republican Extremists
— WITF: PA Republican Cong. Scott Perry Calls Justice Dept. Corrupt But Provides No Evidence
— Politics PA: Biden To Republicans – ‘You Can’t Be Pro-Law Enforcement And Pro-Insurrection’
— AP: Biden Sounds Strong Alarm: Ex-President’s Hold On Republican Party Is Trying To Subvert Democracy
— PA Capital-Star: Biden’s Speech A Challenge To All Of Use, We Have To Step Up
— Gov. Wolf Announces $4.2 Million In Federal Funding To Protect Diverse Communities Targeted By Hate Crimes
— TribLive: Defense In Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre Case Wants To Know Jurors’ Religious Affiliation
— State Constitutional Amendments
— Gov. Wolf, Legislative Leaders Agree On Constitutional Amendment To Open 2-Year Window For Child Sexual Abuse Civil Lawsuits
— WHYY: Lawsuit Window For PA Survivors Of Child Sexual Abuse Could Open As Early As Next May
— Spotlight PA: Complete Guide To More Than 70 Proposed Amendments To State Constitution
— PA Politics Of Russian Invasion
— TribLive: Gasoline Prices Fall For 11th Week; Some PA Counties Reach $4 Mark
— TribLive: Decline In Gasoline Prices Continuing Into Labor Day Weekend
— WSJ: Crude Oil Prices Up 2.9%
— Reuters: Crude Oil Price Climbs Ahead Of OPEC+ Meeting Next Week
— WLVR: PUC Shares Tips To Offset Rising Utility Costs
— Wilkes-Barre Times: UGI To Increase Natural Gas Rates Due To ‘Increased Global Demand’
— Standard Speaker: UGI Natural Gas Rates To Rise 7.6% Sept. 1, The 5th Hike In 15 Months
— PA PUC: Cost Of Natural Gas Provided By Major Utilities In PA Increased As Much As 154% Over Last Year [PaEN]
— Baker Hughes PA Natural Gas Drill Rig Count Ends August With No Change For Last 4 Weeks – 23
— Natural Gas Intelligence: Proposed Philadelphia LNG Natural Gas Export Terminal To Pre-File With Federal Regulators By End Of 2022 And Reach Final Investment Decision By 2024
— Reuters: U.S. Natural Gas Prices Fall 5% On Delay On Texas LNG Plant Restart [Showing Again LNG Exports Mean High U.S. Natural Gas Prices]
— Bloomberg: Everyone’s An Energy Trader As Electric Bills Hit The Sky In U.S. Due To Natural Gas Cost Spikes
— Harrisburg Politics Potpourri
— PA Capital-Star: ‘We Need To Work Together’: Lawmakers, Labor Leaders Call For Unity Ahead Of Labor Day
— PA Capital-Star: Sen. Martin Proposes Clarifying Law Allowing Police To Pull Over Drivers With Partially Obscured License Plates
— Inquirer: SNAP, EBT Benefits Card System Outage Strikes Pennsylvania
— Spotlight PA: PA’s Unreliable Lobbyist Disclosure Website Is Getting Upgrade
— Warren Times Editorial: Fireworks Issue Sparks Debate
— PennLive – Jan Murphy: New Courtyard At PA Governor’s Residence Makes It Welcoming To All
— Budget 2022
— Dept. Of Revenue Reports August State Tax Collections 1.1% Above Revenue Estimates
— Independent Fiscal Office: Monthly State Revenue Report For August
— Independent Fiscal Office Official Quarterly And Monthly Revenue Estimates FY 2022-23
— WPSU: College Twp. Lawyer Says No Dice On Getting Out Of Hosting A Casino
— Sen. Yaw Guest Essay: Expanding Legal Gambling To Include Skill Games Will Help Sustain Veterans’ Organizations, Social Clubs
— COVID Pandemic/Health
— MCall: PA COVID Update: 18,264 New Cases; Local Hospitalizations Jump 24%
— Scranton Times: New COVID Cases Decline Statewide
— Dept. Of Health: PA COVID Vaccine Providers Ready To Administer Updated Booster Shots
— WPost: COVID Forecast: Major Fall Surge Unlikely, But Variants Are A Wild Card
— Post-Gazette: The Untold Story Of How Pittsburgh Colleges Collaborated To Fight COVID
— TribLive: University Of Pittsburgh Reports First Known Case Of Monkeypox
— Erie Times: Erie County Sees Monkeypox Cases Double, 6 Now Infected
— WHYY: Philadelphia Calling For Proposals To Expand Monkeypox Vaccine Outreach
— TribLive: Allegheny County Expands Eligibility For Monkeypox Vaccine
— Erie Times: Erie County Could See A Return To Severe Flu Seasons
— York Dispatch: Despite Misinformation, Many York County Children Are Getting Vaccines
— Inquirer Guest Essay: PA Lawmakers Should Continue Telemedicine Waivers To Increase Access To Healthcare Services
— AP: Workers At 14 Pennsylvania Nursing Homes Go On Strike
— TribLive: PA Nursing Home Workers Go On Strike
— Spotlight PA – Stephen Caruso: Thousands Of PA Nursing Home Workers May Strike Despite $600 Million For Care In State Budget
— Erie Times Guest Essay: PA Nursing Home Administrators Must Stop Stonewalling Caregivers – By Rep. Pat Harkins
— Post-Gazette: Nursing Shortages, Skilled Unit Closures Slowing Discharges At Pittsburgh Hospitals
— TribLive: Highmark Health Reports $174 Million In Net Losses During First Half Of Year
— The Guardian: How Polio Returned To The U.S.: A Mutated Virus, Anti-Vaxxers And A Vulnerable Population
— COVID – Schools
— PennLive: Central Dauphin School District Bus Contractor Says Pandemic ‘Inflamed’ Driver Shortage
— Opioid Deaths
— WHYY: Naloxone Mailing Program Tops 10,000 Doses In PA
— MCall: Opioid Settlement Money To Give $2.2 Million Boost To Northampton County Drug Treatment Programs
— Inquirer: Drug Overdoses Are Killing A Record Number Of Philadelphians As Deaths Soar Among Black Residents
— Inquirer: 4 Takeaways From The Inquirer’s Analysis Of Philly Overdose Crisis
— Williamsport Sun: Overdose Awareness Day: Remembering Those Whose Lives Ended Tragically
— Post-Gazette Editorial: Jails Must Join Fight Against Epidemic Of Addiction
— School Districts/Higher Education
— CitizensVoice: New School Year With More Armed Officers, New Cell Phone Policy, End Of Universal Free Meals
— TribLive: PA Lawmakers Eye Stronger Guidelines As School Districts Enhance Security Measures
— Courier Times Guest Essay: Crusading Parents Can’t Protect Kids From Sexual Material
— Courier Times: Will Bucks County School Districts Cancel Lunch Debt After Bristol Forgives $21,000?
— PennLive: Central Dauphin School District Bus Contractor Says Pandemic ‘Inflamed’ Driver Shortage
— Post-Gazette: Pittsburgh-Area Educators Say Teaching During Pandemic Made them More Understanding
— PA Capital-Star: Philly Elementary School Renamed For LGBTQ Activist Gloria Casarez
— WHYY: Abrupt Closure Of Private Daroff Charter School In West Philly Blindsided Parents
— Gov. Wolf Reminds Pennsylvanians Student Loan Forgiveness Will Not Be Taxed In PA
— WPost: Republicans Are Readying Lawsuits To Block Biden’s Student Debt Forgiveness Plan
— Independent Fiscal Office Report On New Student Loan Debt Forgiveness – $23.7 Billion
— Post-Gazette: PA Student Borrowers Could Get $24 Billion In Benefits Under Biden Relief Plan, IFO Report Says
— WITF: Nearly 1 Million PA Students Could Have Their Student Loans Wiped Away Under Biden’s Plan
— Post-Gazette – Salena Zito: Pennsylvanians Feel Left Out By Biden’s Student Loan Policy
— PA Community Colleges Offer More Than 80 New Programs For 2022-23 Academic Year
— Post-Gazette: Rebranding State-Owned Universities A Complex Task
— Centre Daily Times: Wolf To ‘Soon’ Disburse One-Time $30 Million Federal Aid To State-Related Universities
— TribLive: Point Park College Program Allows Those With Other Degrees To Pursue Teaching Career
— Post-Gazette: Allegheny Community College, BNY Mellon Bank Expand Program To Introduce High Schoolers To Career Pathways
— Gun Violence/Law Enforcement
— Courier Times: PA Counties To Share $50 Million To Fight, Prosecute Gun Violence
— Scranton Times Editorial: Aggressively Enforce New Federal Ghost Gun Rule
— WESA/AP: In PA Speech, Biden Defends FBI, Promotes Ban On Assault-Style Weapons
— Scranton Times: Biden Slams MAGA Republicans, Criticism Of FBI
— MCall: Brothers, Both Shot And Killed At 19 In Allentown, Had Hopes And Dreams, Family Friend Says
— Inquirer: 3 People Died Among 10 Shot In Less Than 7 Hours In Philly
— Inquirer: Philly Has A $208 Million Antiviolence Budget, Just A Fraction Addresses Shootings In The Short-Term
— CitizensVoice: New School Year With More Armed Officers, New Cell Phone Policy, End Of Universal Free Meals
— TribLive: PA Lawmakers Eye Stronger Guidelines As School Districts Enhance Security Measures
— WHYY: On First Day Of School, Philly Violence Prevention Activists Call On Dads To Step Up
— TribLive: Pittsburgh H.S. Student Caught With Gun In Backpack
— Republican Herald: Schuylkill Haven Area Students Participate In Active Shooter Drills For Annual School Safety Day
— KYW: Penn State Student Accused Of Posting Bomb Threat Online
— Citizens Voice Editorial: Combine Gun Safety Bills In Legislature
— Gov. Wolf, Legislative Leaders Agree On Constitutional Amendment To Open 2-Year Window For Child Sexual Abuse Civil Lawsuits
— PA Capital-Star: Wolf Concedes On Legislatively Opening Child Sex Abuse Window, Agrees To Constitutional Amendment
— Inquirer: Lawsuit Alleges PA ChildLine Abuse Registry Violates State Constitution
— Gov. Wolf Announces $4.2 Million In Federal Funding To Protect Diverse Communities Targeted By Hate Crimes
— TribLive: Defense In Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre Case Wants To Know Jurors’ Religious Affiliation
— TribLive Editorial: Are Catholics Key To The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Jury?
— Dept. Of Corrections Releases Comprehensive Recidivism Report Shows Two-Thirds Of Reentrants Released Are Re-Arrested Or Return To DOC Custody Within 3 Years
— PA Capital-Star: New Report Paints Mixed Picture Of Recidivism In PA Prisons
— PennLive: Millions Of PA Criminal Records Wrongly Kept From The Public, But There’s No Legislative Fix Coming
— PA Capital-Star: PA Lawmakers, Advocates Push For Clean Slate Expansion: ‘This Is A People Issue’
— Scranton Times Editorial: ‘Clean Slate’ Law Works; Expand It
— Gov. Wolf, Lt. Gov. Fetterman Announce Effort To Quickly Pardon Thousands Of Pennsylvanians From Marijuana-Related Convictions
— MCall – Paul Muschick: Are Pardons For Marijuana Crimes A Political Stunt To Help Fetterman?
— AP: Wolf Starts Process To Pardon Lower Level Pot Convictions
— Scranton Times Editorial: Compensate Those Wrongly Convicted
— Inquirer: Philly DA Files Commonwealth Court Petition To Block House Republican Probe Toward Impeachment
— PA Capital-Star: Sen. Martin Proposes Clarifying Law Allowing Police To Pull Over Drivers With Partially Obscured License Plates
— PA Economy
— PA Capital-Star: ‘We Need To Work Together’: Lawmakers, Labor Leaders Call For Unity Ahead Of Labor Day
— WITF: PA Labor Advocates Push For Changes Aimed At Bolstering Working Conditions Ahead Of Labor Day
— Inquirer: SNAP, EBT Benefits Card System Outage Strikes Pennsylvania
— Post-Gazette: Jack Shea, ‘Tough, Focused And Fearless’ Pittsburgh-Area Labor Leader, Dies At 79
— City & State PA: Progressive Think Tank Offers Blueprint For ‘Shared Prosperity’ In PA
— MCall – Ford Turner: PA Labor Shortage Data Indicates Employers Need 100,000+ Workers
— PA Capital-Star: Report: Tight Labor Market Offers ‘New Possibilities’ For PA Workers
— Courier Times: Jobs Remain Unfilled Across Bucks, Despite Recruitment Efforts
— WESA: In COVID-Era Economy, Lowest-Paid Pennsylvanians Have Experienced The Largest Wage Gains
— Erie Times: Erie Residents Are Earning More, But Are We Able To Buy More? A Penn State Behrend Analyst Weighs In
— TribLive Editorial: More People In The Workforce Is Good News
— PennLive: Central Dauphin School District Bus Contractor Says Pandemic ‘Inflamed’ Driver Shortage
— TribLive: Southwestern PA Awarded $63 Million To Boost Robotics And AI Industries
— Post-Gazette: Allegheny County Judge’s Ruling Could Bring Tax Relief For Property Owners Hit With Assessment Appeals
— NACD, Carnegie Mellon University, Ridge Global Unveil Updated Cyber Certificate Program For Board Directors
Other
— AP: PA National Guard Soldier, 17, Collapses During Training, Dies Days Later
— Post-Gazette: Rural Roads Have Disproportionate Share Of Traffic Deaths
