This week, on a special edition of Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman & Matt Paul break down key portions of Governor Tom Corbett’s budget address, including plans for education, pension reform and road & bridge funding. Radio PA Roundtable is a 30-minute program featuring in-depth reporting on the top news stories of the week. Click the […]
While the state’s largest teacher’s union says the Governor’s budget fails students again, another group sees signs of encouragement. Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children says the budget begins to restore some cuts to core programs. CEO Joan Benso says they were pleased to see increases for Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance. She says it’s a […]
Public opinion is changing when it comes to same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania. Today’s Franklin & Marshall College Poll finds that 52% of Pennsylvania voters now favor legal marriage for gay and lesbian couples, compared to 41% who oppose it. Poll Director Terry Madonna believes this is the first poll to show majority support for the […]
Three Democratic state representatives say there’s more willingness to discuss gun safety measures after the Connecticut elementary school shooting. Citing gun violence statistics, Representative Ron Waters (D-Philadelphia/Delaware) is again calling for a number of new laws designed to improve gun safety. Emphasizing that point, Waters says they want to dispel the idea they’re calling for […]
Pennsylvania will not pursue an expanded Medicaid program until the federal government reforms the system. Governor Tom Corbett made his intentions known during Tuesday’s budget address before the General Assembly. “We cannot afford to expand a broken system,” Corbett announced. “Right now, without expansion, the cost to maintain our current Department of Public Welfare programs […]
Perhaps the most controversial piece of Governor Tom Corbett’s $28.4-billion dollar state budget is the call for public pension reform. The administration has penciled in $175-million dollars worth of savings next year, pending legislative action on the issue. They say reforms would also free up nearly $140-million for the state’s 500 school districts. “The reality is […]
State revenue collections fell short of estimates last month, according to the Pennsylvania Departmetn of Revenue. January revenue collections were off slightly as the state collected almost 19 million dollars less than anticipated, a difference of eight-tenths of a percent. Still, boosted by December’s better than expected performance, the fiscal year to date General Fund […]
With Governor Tom Corbett’s commitment to level-fund higher education in the new fiscal year, state-owned and state-related university officials are pledging to keep any tuition hikes as low as possible. “This agreement, this working together, will allow our schools to better plan their budgets for the coming year and make the best use of their […]
On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman & Matt Paul bring you the governor’s plan to privatize liquor sales in Pennsylvania and the reaction from opponents of the plan. Also, a fight over cyber charter school funding… Radio PA Roundtable is a 30-minute program featuring in-depth reporting on the top news stories of the […]
The details of the plan may be new, but the arguments for and against liquor privatization are perennially similar. “This is an agency that makes money, that continues to make more money every year,” UFCW Local 1776 President Wendell Young IV said while questioning the logic behind dismantling the state store system. The UFCW, which […]