Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Gov. Shapiro

-- York Daily Record: Behind The Hold-Up Of Shapiro’s Nominee For Secretary Of State

-- Gov. Shapiro: Senate Confirms Nominees For Secretary Of DCNR, General Services

-- Gov. Shapiro Signs Executive Orders Establishing New Commission On Next Generation Engagement In State Government

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: Shapiro Signs Executive Order Establishing Commission To Give Next Generation A Voice In State Government

-- Williamsport Sun Editorial: Gov. Shapiro’s Secrecy Infuriating 

-- PA Senate/House

-- York Daily Record: Behind The Hold-Up Of Shapiro’s Nominee For Secretary Of State

-- AP: PA House Passes Bill To Require Electronically Filed Campaign Finance Reports

-- AP: Partisan Stalemate Keeps Child Sexual Assault Lawsuit Window From Advancing In PA Legislature

-- PennLive: PA House Passes Expansion Of Clean Slate Criminal Record Legislation By Wide Margin

-- U.S. Senate/House

-- WKBN: PA U.S. Senator Fetterman, Other Members Introduce Bill To Create Spotted Lanternfly Research & Development Program

-- Election Reforms

-- AP: PA House Passes Bill To Require Electronically Filed Campaign Finance Reports

-- May Primary Election

-- PA Capital-Star: Top State Elections Official: ‘No Discrepancies’ Found In Audit Of PA Primary Election

-- Spotlight PA: ACLU Lawsuit: Delaware County Rejected 6 Voters’ Flawed Mail Ballots, Then It Refused To Count Their In-Person Votes

-- TribLive Guest Essay: PA’s Primary Election Revealed Two Democratic Parties

-- WESA: Meet The Pollster Behind The Wins Of Pittsburgh Progressives Lee, Gainey, Innamorato And More

-- Norfolk Southern Train Derailment

-- House Passes Bipartisan Legislation To Strengthen Rail Safety After Norfolk Southern Train Derailment  [PaEN]

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Passes New Train Safety Bill In Split Vote: ‘How Many East Palestines Should We Accept?’

-- WESA/The Allegheny Front: Officials Say They Don’t Know Long-Term Impacts Of Norfolk Southern Train Derailment On Residents

-- AP: Federal Regulators Promise Safety Review At All Major Freight Railroads

-- PA Politics Of Russian Invasion

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA- $3.65, National Average- $3.58

-- US EIA: U.S. Natural Gas Prices Expected To Increase 30% In 2024

-- Bloomberg: European Natural Gas Prices Surge 35% On The Week As Supply Risks Rattle Market

-- US EIA: Eastern US Wholesale Electricity Prices Expected To Be 50% Lower In 2023 As A Result Of Lower Natural Gas Prices

-- Baker Hughes: PA Natural Gas Drilling Rig County Remains At 24

-- Reuters: US Drillers Cut Oil/Gas Drilling Rigs For 6th Week In A Row, Baker Hughes Says

-- TribLive: PJM Interconnection: Closure Of Homer City Coal-Fired Power Plant Won’t Impact Electric Grid Reliability

-- Utility Dive: FERC To Oversee Settlement Talks To Resolve Complaints About $1.8 Billion In PJM Interconnection Winter Storm Elliot Nonperformance Penalties  [Primarily Natural Gas-Fired Generation]

-- Utility Dive: U.S. Residential Heat Pump Sales Pass Natural Gas Furnaces For First Time As Interest In Efficiency Tech Surges: IEA

-- AAA Gasoline Prices: PA- $3.65, National Average- $3.58

-- Forbes: U.S. Shale Oil Drilling Is Slowing Down Due To Factors Beyond Anyone’s Control

-- PA/Harrisburg Politics Potpourri

-- PA Capital-Star: Here’s What The U.S. Supreme Court’s Redistricting Decision Means For PA

-- AP: Ex-Federal Prosecutor To Run For Democratic Nomination For PA Attorney General

-- PennLive - John Baer: Republican Presidential Candidates Don’t Make Anti-Ex-President Politicians Sing, But They’ll Put On A Good Show

-- Politics PA: Conservative Moms For Liberty Group: Who Are They?  What Do They Want?

-- LancasterOnline: Moms For Liberty FreePA Flagged As ‘Antigovernment’ Groups By Watchdog

-- PA Capital-Star: Hate Groups’ Political Influence In PA And Beyond Growing, Watchdog Says

-- PA Role In Assault On U.S. Capitol

-- PittsburghUnionProgress.com: North Fayette Man Sentenced To 4+ Years In Federal Prison For Crimes Related To Assault On U.S. Capitol

-- Post-Gazette: Republican Voters In PA Rally To Ex-President’s Defense After Latest Criminal Indictment

-- Budget 2023

-- Spotlight PA - Stephen Caruso: Disputes Over Education Spending, Cash Reserves Emerge As PA Budget Deadline Approaches

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA Senate Republicans Balk At House Democrats’ Budget Proposal As Talks Intensify

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: PA House Democrats Pass Budget Bill With More Spending Than Shapiro Proposed; Republicans Say It Will ‘Bankrupt’ State

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: PA House Passes Democrats’ 446.4 Billion Spending Plan; Republicans Call It Unsustainable

-- The Center Square: Pricier Budget Offer Squeaks Through PA House

-- PA Capital-Star: House Democrats Propose $903 Million In Additional Spending Over Shapiro’s Proposal

-- AP: Growing State Budget Fight In Divided Legislature Could Test PA’s Democratic Governor

-- Spotlight PA - Steven Caruso: PA State Budget: Guide To What’s On The Table, What Comes Next, How To Follow Along

-- Post-Gazette - Ford Turner: It’s Crunch Time In Harrisburg As State Budget Season Goes Into Full Swing

-- Health Care

-- LancasterOnline: PA Liquor Control Board Still Pursuing Sanctions For COVID Offenses; Rulebreakers ‘Should Face Some Consequence,’ Member Says

-- Education

-- Spotlight PA: General Assembly, Governor’s Office Spent $12.6 Million On Private Lawyers To Fight Challenge To State’s Education Funding Formula

-- Post-Gazette: New Report Finds Enrollment And State Funding Of PA Colleges Continues To Decline

-- Law Enforcement

-- PennLive: PA House Passes Expansion Of Clean Slate Criminal Record Legislation By Wide Margin

-- TribLive: Week 2 Recap Of Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre Trial: ‘I Didn’t Want To Die’

-- WITF/AP: Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre Trial Is Proving The Obvious, But Ultimately Focused On The Death Penalty

-- The Economy

-- Wall Street Journal: Surprising New Source Of Lithium For Batteries - Oil/Gas Wastewater 

-- Republican Herald: ‘Birth Of Cable TV’ In Mahanoy City Celebrated At 75th Anniversary Of Service Electric 

-- Other

-- TribLive: Backlash Prompts Pittsburgh Catholic Bishop Zubik To Cancel Mass Planned In Solidarity With LGBTQ+ Community

-- Wilkes-Barre Times Editorial: Wildfire Smoke A Reminder Of Our Shared Vulnerability  [PaEN]

-- Tribune-Review Column: Where There's Smoke, There's Wildfires And Serious Questions To Answer - By Lori Falce, Tribune-Review Community Engagement Editor  [PaEN]

-- Centre Daily Times: Climate Watch - Baseball: The Common Ground On Climate Change

-- PA Capital-Star - John Micek: What The Wildfires Teach Us - We Might Not Survive Our Own Climate Foolishness, But The Planet Will Go On Spinning Without Us

-- TribLive: Idea For ‘Mister Rogers’ Themed Lego Set Winning Support

[Posted: June 11, 2023]