Pennsylvania in Focus

Border security and immigration reform aren't far from the minds of voters in Pennsylvania and across the country. It’s important to incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., and the Republican candidate challenging him, Dave McCormick, too. So much so that both men spent a quarter of their final debate attacking each other’s solutions to the problem. Support this podcast:  https://secure.anedot.c...

Longtime homeowners in all but two of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties face the same problem: property tax bills that rise every year, often beyond what they can afford. State-level elected officials say they will fix it, perennially. And for the counties that comprise Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, they actually have, through the Longtime Owner-Occupant Program. Support this podcast:  https://secure.aned...

Turning down inflationary pressure remains front of mind for voters in Pennsylvania. The two U.S. Senate candidates vying to represent them for the next six years both want to fix it, but don’t even agree on why it exists. Support this podcast:  https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxx Full story: Casey, McCormick debate price gougi...

Leading polling averages for the top two national races in Pennsylvania are split between Republican and Democrat. Former President Donald Trump and incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., top the RealClear poling averages at 0.3 percentage points and 3.9 percentage points, respectively. Trump's razor-thin margin comes after winning seven of the last 20 polls conducted since Sept. 11, the day af...

First responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder moved one step closer to qualifying for workers compensation in Pennsylvania. The state Senate approved a proposal on Wednesday to expand the program to cover those living with the condition. Twenty-five other states have already done so, according to Rep. Jenn O'Mara, D-Springfield, who sponsored similar legislation in the House. Supp...

A package of bills that enshrine federal insurance mandates into Pennsylvania law passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Supporters say doing so guarantees the coverage expectations residents have grown accustomed to since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010 will exist, even if Congress or the Supreme Court make changes. Two bills ban annual and lifetime limits and preexisting co...

 In the contentious race for Pennsylvania treasurer, candidates campaign against each other’s money management, or lack thereof. It’s not an unsurprising strategy given the office’s primary role as keeper of the state’s multi-billion dollar taxpayer-funded bank accounts. The vitriolic messaging, however, stands apart from other statewide office campaigns. Support this podcast:  https://secure.aned...

The growth of data centers has been good news for nuclear power in Pennsylvania. But meeting growing demand in the future could be a struggle for the electric grid. Local political support stood behind reviving Three Mile Island in the commonwealth and Constellation Energy announced a deal in late September to bring it out of retirement and supply power for a Microsoft data center, keeping the pla...

Another poll shows that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck and neck in Pennsylvania. This one, from Emerson College Polling and Real Clear Pennsylvania, found a 48-48 tie between the two candidates, while half of voters expect Harris to prevail and 49% expect Trump to pull it off. Conducted in late September, the poll asked 1,000 likely voters in the commonweal...

In the battleground of Bucks County on Wednesday, Republican Senate Candidate Dave McCormick focused on the rising cost of living. “Families and businesses are hurting,” McCormick told a few dozen supporters crammed into the Bensalem Farmers Market and Deli. “It’s been devastating, the last three and a half years, for Pennsylvania.” He repeated his criticism of incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey...

County boards of elections across Pennsylvania are preparing for November, but warn that more support would help them get the job done quicker — while state laws hamstring their effort. “We should have one uniform way of handling elections that takes out all the ambiguity,” Jeff Reber, a Union County Commissioner and election reform committee chair of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsy...

A new plan formalized Sunday means Pennsylvania will support economic recovery efforts in southeastern Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the war-torn country’s president, watched as an official from the Zaporizhzhia Regional State (Military) Administration signed the agreement at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant on Sunday. The Lackawanna County facility manufactures the 155-millimeter howitzer round...

New presidential polls are dropping, but they don’t bring much clarity for battleground Pennsylvania. The race is tight and within the margin of error – and one poll has a tie between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. A Marist Poll found little space between the two. Support this podcast:  https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce...

Pennsylvania relies on nuclear power more than any other state except Illinois — and there’s talk of growth. One way would be to revive Three Mile Island, and it has some political support as electricity demand keeps building. Pennsylvania is one of 13 states and Washington, D.C. that’s part of the PJM grid, which supplies power for 65 million people. Pennsylvania is a major exporter of electricit...

Private school students who pay tuition using taxpayer-funded scholarships achieve higher academic proficiencies than their public school counterparts, according to a recent report. The analysis, compiled by the Commonwealth Foundation, a policy group that focuses on fiscal conservancy, looked at the demographics of nearly 78,000 students who received financial aid through the Educational Improvem...

The presidential debate Tuesday night in Philadelphia focused on immigration, abortion, and crowd sizes at campaign rallies. What went under-discussed, however, was one close to the heart of Pennsylvania’s economy: energy. The attention it did receive centered on fracking, and Pennsylvania is the second-largest producer of natural gas in the country. Vice President Kamala Harris clarified that she...

As the Pennsylvania treasurer’s election approaches in November, incumbent Stacy Garrity touts her accomplishments and stewardship of Pennsylvania’s tax dollars. However, her Democratic challenger, Erin McClelland, argues that the office needs a shakeup in the name of transparency and less-politicized investments. Garrity first won election in 2020 while McClelland defeated Rep. Ryan Bizarro, D-Er...

Unions see a clear path through the legislature to boost membership after several legal challenges saw workers leave in droves. This, according to a new report released Wednesday that grades public sector labor laws across the nation. The data was compiled by the Commonwealth Foundation, a policy group that focuses on fiscal conservancy. David Osborne, senior fellow for labor policy at the foundat...

The company behind the eponymous "Steel City" may be a Pittsburgh icon no more. U.S. Steel, founded in the city more than 120 years ago, said Wednesday that without Japanese-owned Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion acquisition, it would relocate out of Pittsburgh – dealing an economic and symbolic blow to Pennsylvania. The comment comes as multiple media reports suggest the Biden administration will soo...

A new law designed to boost high-value manufacturing through engineering firms and universities took center stage on Tuesday. Now, it just needs state funding. Act 24, passed in June, created the Max Manufacturing Initiative to build public-private partnerships through a grant and loan program, shared research facilities and new equipment and incentives. Officials see it as a game changer for adva...

 Pennsylvania sits at the heart of the 13-state electric grid called PJM. That means the state’s role in generating power to keep the lights on in neighboring states is crucial. But a report warns that recent government policy choices have weakened the grid, making it more vulnerable to disruptions. A potential power shortage could hit by 2030 if more problems mount. Support this podcast:  https:/...

 A proposal for election transparency has one state legislator going against the Department of State. At the center of the split: changes made to Pennsylvania’s elections stemming from the passage of Act 77 of 2019. Rep. Brad Roae, R-Meadville, introduced House Bill 2542 to require the Department to again update precinct counts online, allowing voters to see how the count is progressing. Support t...

A bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump requested a trove of documents and interviews on Wednesday. Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, who chairs the panel, and Colorado Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Crow, who serves as ranking member, sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Secret Service asking for interv...

In May, Gov. Josh Shapiro embarked on a weeklong family RV trip to promote the state’s new tourism brand, “Pennsylvania: The Great American Getaway.” Speaking at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders baseball stadium, the governor wanted to show off “the opportunity we have when it comes to tourism and when it comes to economic development.” With stops in Philadelphia to promote urban tourism and l...

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Wednesday that Democrats support the “kind of freedom” that starts in the classroom. Specifically, the public school classroom. “You know what Democrats? We are the party of real freedom,” Shapiro said from the Democratic National Convention stage in Chicago. “The kind of real freedom that comes when that child attends a great public school with an awesome teach...